Apprenticeship Gala Lunch Celebrates Year of Success

Supporters of the Apprenticeships programme at Craven College were invited to our fourth Charity Gala Lunch on Monday 29 June at The Three Peaks Cafe.

The lunch is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the successes of our Hospitality Apprentices and gives them a chance to showcase their skills to their own employers, special guests, and College staff. We were delighted to be joined by the Mayor of Skipton Councillor Winston Feather alongside representatives from this year’s chosen charity the Skipton Food Bank.

With a delightful menu over four courses, guests enjoyed a meal prepared and served by our very own apprentices. From conception to production, all planning was done by students over six weeks, with a rigorous testing process over the last two weeks. Apprentices had to plan according to budget and availability and chose the finest locally sourced ingredients. This year’s menu included: –

• Vegetable spring rolls and crispy chicken with Asian salad and sesame, soy and ginger dressing. 
• Pan fried sea bass with Parmentier potatoes and a caper and lemon dressing.
• Porchetta with fennel and apple stuffing, mash potato, caramelised apples, parmesan roasted asparagus and pork jus.
• Lemon posset, short bread and raspberry sorbet.

There was a fabulous raffle on the day including amazing prizes including vouchers for Herriots Hotel, The Orchard Café, Salts Mill, Busfeild Arms, Palamino Pizza, The Morral @ The Black Horse Hotel, Canal Side Café, Devonshire Hotels, Craven Arts House, The Ling Bob, The Coniston Hotel, and Costa Coffee, various bottles of wine and champagne, a beautiful piece of art, a makeup palette, and a designer handbag. The final prize was a wonderful wooden bench made by Countryside apprentices and donated to the event.! We offer our sincere thanks to everyone who donated a prize. All proceeds from the lunch and raffle are being donated to the Skipton Food Bank and the event raised an amazing £1500 for our chosen charity – a huge thank you to everyone!

The Skipton Food Bank supplies emergency food parcels to people who are struggling to feed themselves or their families. They work with local support agencies who make referrals to ensure people can access appropriate support. In addition, the foodbank has a paid Citizens’ Advice Worker in all their sessions to offer on the spot advice and support with benefits, bills, and housing among other things. Any money donated to the charity goes towards buying stock to fill the parcels and paying for the ongoing running costs of the food bank to also help them welcome and support those in need.

Anita Lall, Principal and CEO of Craven College said, “This is the 4th annual Apprenticeship Gala Lunch and we’re delighted to welcome guests to enjoy the catering and hospitality of our talented apprentices and raise some valuable money for the Skipton Food Bank, a local charity that is very close to our hearts as part of the community. Our chefs and front of house students are fantastic, and we feel sure you will have an absolutely wonderful occasion!”

Ann Lloyd, Apprenticeship Coordinator for Hospitality added “This event is a lovely demonstration of the amazing ability of our apprentices. They work so well together whether in their own workplaces or in the College kitchen.

“It has been wonderful to see the charities chosen by the apprentices themselves to be beneficiaries of this event – and I’m really proud of all our apprentices for their ability and dedication.”

Ann Lloyd is retiring today – what a wonderful way to end her time with us at Craven College, as part of such a lovely celebration and we wish her all the best in her retirement!