Students get a taste for Valencia

FOURTEEN students from the

Level 2 Diploma in Pro-fessional Bakery and Level 3 Patisserie and Confectionery programmes at SERC’s Lisburn and Bangor campuses have recently returned from a study/placement visit to Valencia, Spain, funded through the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Lecturer Ruth Doherty, one of the team that accompanied them, said: “The students spent their time working in a range of local bakery businesses, developing their skills in producing breads, pastries, desserts and cakes, while learning about life in the busy Spanish city and experiencing the culture.”

She added: “The students enjoyed a range of cultural activities during their stay, including a visit to Albufera, home of Paella, where they had the opportunity to learn how to cook this authentic Spanish dish. They also had time to enjoy the local aquarium, and of course spent some time on the beautiful beach.”

Speaking about her place-ment, Aimee Roleston, from Millisle (Level 2 Professional Bakery) said: “It was a nice workplace with a great atmos-phere.

“I liked that I was trusted to bake all the recipes myself without much guidance.”

Fellow student Emma Stewart, from Dromore, said: “I am now able to dress cakes a lot quicker and with more attention to

detail. My skillset has im-proved so much, especially with making tarts from start to finish. Overall, I feel a lot more confident in my baking ability.”

Ruth Doherty concluded: “Tw-enty per cent of the students applied for passports for the

trip which demonstrates widen-

ing horizons.

“The opportunity to take part in a placement such as this is a real boost to the confidence of our students as they get to develop their skills, experience different cultures and increase their independence.”