The new facilities include:
• The Baroness Burdett-Coutts Kitchen
• The Culinary Science and Kitchen Innovation Laboratory
• The Chocolate Laboratory and The Cacao Barry Patisserie
The new Baroness Burdett-Coutts Kitchen is a state-of-the-art 12 stationed teaching kitchen featuring the latest Charvet kitchen ranges, multimedia facilities and a separate area for lecturer and guest speaker-led demonstrations.
The new facilities at the Culinary Science and Kitchen Innovation Laboratory provide a fully equipped and uninterrupted space where Culinary Arts Foundation Degree students can carry out scientific research related to culinary processes.
Meanwhile the Chocolate Laboratory provides a dedicated facility for the teaching of chocolate techniques. Students will be able to learn about chocolate recipe engineering and learn to use specialist equipment that separates the cocoa from the bean to create chocolate so that they can learn about the sourcing and processes in making chocolate from the raw materials through to the finished product as well as its use in recipes.
Andy Wilson, principal at Westminster Kingsway College, said: “The opening of these specialist culinary facilities demonstrates Westminster Kingsway College’s continued commitment to providing what our partners in the Hospitality industry tell us they need. We are the first and only Further Education College or Culinary School in the UK to have specialist laboratory facilities for Culinary Science and Chocolate, with specialist lecturers in both areas. We are proud to open these facilities and immensely grateful to our industry sponsors for all of their support.”
Gary Hunter, head of culinary arts at Westminster Kingsway College, added: “We are very excited to have a specialist Chocolate Laboratory at Westminster Kingsway College so that we can promote the teaching and learning of chocolate techniques and develop new courses in this area. With all of the new developments over recent months, Westminster Kingsway College has become the hub of culinary teaching and innovation in the UK.”