Mary Berry opened the newly refurbished Quantock Restaurant this week at Bridgwater & Taunton College’s Taunton campus. The restaurant has been refurbished to the tune of £1million and boasts new training kitchens and a dining room that seats 70 people.

Mary set the students a challenge before she arrived, to bake a cake for her to judge, rather like the Great British Bake Off. Students baked a variety of cakes from lemon sponge to Christmas cake.

Mary said,

“It was wonderful to meet the students and to see the new facilities that they will be working in. I would have loved to have had this opportunity when I was younger.”

Mary was full of praise for the winning lemon sponge cake and also awarded prizes to the runner ups;

• First prize winner – Chloe Paramore for her lemon sponge cake
• Second prize winner – Egor Sellick’s Christmas cake
• Third prize winners – Lauren Tarr’s apricot fruit log and Victoria Chilcott’s chocolate cake.

Located at the Taunton Campus, Wellington Road, the Quantock restaurant is run by Hospitality and Catering students who are all working towards various levels of qualifications. Their success speaks for itself, many have gone on to work for prestigious organisations such as,Claridge’s, The Ritz, Browns Mayfair, The Fat Duck Group, Babington House and Gidleigh Park.

To find out more about Hospitality and Catering courses that are available at the College, using the new restaurant facilities, click here.

To book a table at the Quantock Restaurant call 01823 366497 or email tomlinsonr@btc.ac.uk.

Photo credit: Clayton Jane Photography.