9th May 2016

Ankur Biswas, Executive Chef at the Royal Castle Hotel in Dartmouth visited the Level 1 Diploma in Professional Cookery students at South Devon College. The students are preparing for their final test of the year which will showcase their culinary skills. One of the chosen disciplines students will be tested on is preparing and making a curry dish. Ankur led a professional discussion and workshop for the students to help them prepare for it.

During the demonstration Ankur shared his expertise on making an authentic, flavoursome curry including how to blend herbs and spices, tandoori marinating and preparing a curry paste. The students worked with him to produce a Special Recipe Chicken Curry accompanied with Sweet Yoghurt Chutney. 

During the professional discussion, he informed students on the benefits and origin of spices and how to best use them for flavour, aroma and texture. He was happy to answer questions from the students on method, ingredients and technique. Ankur also discussed employability with the students. He shared his opinion on what he considers to be key attributes when looking for an apprentice. Ankur said, “I really enjoyed my experience with the students and taking the cookery class. Students were very enthusiastic and eager to learn. They asked lots of questions and showed interest in how to combine herbs and spices to create a mouth-watering dish with an edge. At the Royal Castle Hotel, we are very passionate about our apprenticeship scheme and would like to invite the students to come and visit us in Dartmouth. I wish them all the best and hope they do well in hospitality.”

The students relished the opportunity to learn from Ankur and had a palpable thirst for knowledge. They should now be well equipped with the prowess to produce the perfect curry for their final test.  They now also have a sense of what employers will be looking out for as they embark on their careers.