Bridgwater & Taunton College (BTC) welcomed Rebecca Pow, Member of Parliament for Taunton Deane and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environmental Quality and Resilience to its Taunton campus.

The focus of the visit was regarding Food Waste Action Week, a campaign that strives to educate how to reduce food waste and help save time and money in the kitchen.

The Quantock Restaurant, located at BTC’s Taunton campus, can seat up to 65 people, and hosts a plethora of activities – from celebratory lunches to large private functions. Serving a selection of cuisines using locally-sourced ingredients and always keeping dietary requirements in mind, it is often open to the public with bookings available in term time.

Principal Andy Berry introduced Rebecca Pow to some of the college’s catering students. This provided an opportunity to discuss how The Quantock Restaurant provides a unique opportunity for BTC’s students, focusing on crucial employability skills and hands-on experience for the competitive world of catering, hospitality and food industries.

Transferring to the kitchen side, Rebecca Pow then participated in a peeling exercise alongside two students, with the aim to weigh any excess – a part of The Quantock Restaurant’s commitment to monitoring food wastage, and maximising usage across dishes. The Minister discussed this with our students, providing her own thoughts and tips on how to minimise waste.

With the exercise a success, Rebecca then spent some extra time with the students, discussing their future plans and the facilities available to them at Bridgwater & Taunton College. Great conversations were had discussing their thoughts on the value of experience within a realistic work environment during their studies.

The Minister was very impressed with the students’ skills and the state-of-the-art facilities within The Quantock Restaurant.

If you would like to know more about BTC’s selection of Hospitality & Catering courses, how we tackle food waste across campuses or find out more about The Quantock Restaurant please visit our website www.btc.ac.uk or call our Information & Advice team on 01278 441234.