@Shelovescake

Just one more week until our final exams and a celebratory group cooking exercise on which to end. Plus one last skills practice session and an inspiring morning with the inimitable Jeremy Lee from Quo Vardis.

The group cooking exercise was the perfect way to end our time at Leith’s. In groups, we designed our menu to a budget of £12.50 per head for a group of eight. Over three days, we prepped and served taking it in turns to be the lunch guests. My group channelled an Italian theme serving a antipasti of courgetti fritti with a punchy aioli; primo of seared tuna, salsa etrusca, cannellini bean and roasted tomato salsa and sweet potato crisps; secondi of pea, ricotta and lemon tortellini with a pea broth and mint oil; and dolci of vanilla panna cotta and poached blackberries and mint. Despite the extreme heat, it was such a thrill to see the kitchen buzzing with everyone cooking their own recipes and serving it proudly to their guests. We all brought in table cloths, napkins and flowers to transform the benches into fancy dining tables. And a few corks were popped to toast the end of an amazing year.

The skills practice had an equally relaxed vibe. Now we were focused on refinement rather than mastering. I made choux buns with the aim of freezing and serving them (filled with smoked salmon mousse) at my upcoming supper club.

Jeremy Lee was divine. Such an enjoyable and delicious morning in his company. We were treated to a salmagundi-style roast chicken salad; a thoroughly simple yet classic crab salad. And to finish, he prepared a gooseberry fool mixing the baked gooseberries not just with cream but also creme anglais – such delightful decadence! Alongside, and still warm from the oven, a pistachio biscuit bejewelled with a gleaming whole pistachio in the centre.

I don’t know if it was the heat but I ended the week heady with such a huge sense of fulfilment and happiness. It reminded me of how I felt finishing my degree finals – somehow more grown-up (yes, at 46!) and confident. No time to luxuriate in that though with the theory exam to revise for and practical exam for which to practice.

The theory exam was as expected but the more I think about it in retrospect the more I worry about questions I got wrong. The practical exam was as intense and insane as the rumours suggest. An enormous amount to deliver in a tight window with no chance to even stop for a wee in 5 hours! Two identical plates of quail with a Madeira jus, fondant potatoes, glazed baby carrots and a shallot puree; two loaves of potato bread; and six caramelised white chocolate ganache sable sandwich biscuits. By the end, I was crying from the adrenaline, emotion and the realisation that this was the end of this incomparable journey. At least, I hoped it was; if I failed the practical I would be back the following day to do it all over again. With huge gratitude, I was informed I had passed. Cue more tears and many hugs from the teachers. After a very necessary toast in the pub, I returned home heavy with emotion, dirty uniform, equipment bag, and a lot of food. That evening was surreal – exhausted, elated, flat, celebratory, sad and happy all at once. Thank goodness I had dinner booked with my Leith’s besties the following evening for a full debrief and celebration of our enormous collective achievement and the making of friends for life.

Thank you so much for reading this blog and joining me on this incredible journey. This will be the last update on the culinary diploma but that won’t be the last you hear from me…I promise!