Future Chefs, Nutritionists and Designers from Saint Aidan’s Church of England High School visited London in July, to develop their design and cookery skills by taking part in a series of workshops and team activities.
In total 34 pupils and 7 staff experienced the highlights of our Capital City by taking part in a bakery workshop at the infamous Bread Ahead Bakery and taking over the kitchen at Brigade, a restaurant renowned for developing homeless people into talented chefs.
Alba describes the experience at Bread Ahead:
We had two and a half hours to create our Pizza and Breadsticks. It was so good, our instructor explained everything really well. We did everything ourselves and learnt lots of new tricks of how to make the perfect dough. We ate the pizza for our lunch, it was delicious, in fact I would say it is the best pizza I have ever had. Bread Ahead also has a bakery shop where they sell the most delicious doughnuts and other bakery products, I would 100% recommend going.
The visit also saw pupils explore areas of the capital such as Borough Market, Southbank, Leicester Square and Covent Garden – where the combination of food and culture demonstrates why London is one of the most culturally diverse cities on Earth.
Annabelle says she had a fantastic time on the trip with all her friends, she loved everything from the games night to the Parliament tour. Her favourite place was Borough Market where she enjoyed seeing all the unique foods. She bought a giant pretzel and chocolate covered strawberries which were delicious and definitely worth the money! All the stalls had different things, some with perfect pastries and others with fantastic fruit. She loved going around the market finding the biggest block of cheese, the smallest fruit and other challenges. It was so much fun seeing how unique the different foods were and experiencing different cultures.
Singing Eucharist at the world-famous Saint Paul’s Cathedral, where Saint Aidan’s were welcomed by name and sat where royalty sits. A tour of the Golden Hind and an invitation to Parliament to take a tour and workshop were unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for the pupils – whilst a visit to Number 10 Downing Street, at such an important political period, were experiences the pupils will never forget. Sandwiched between were open-top bus tours, a meal at the Hard Rock Café, journeys on the tube and playing rounders in Green Park in the London heat.
A spectacular evening in the West End to watch Dear Evan Hansen, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, was a highlight for many of the pupils. The eventful five-day visit allowed for exploring the artistic side of London at the Tate Modern, the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Design Museum. There was even a chance to squeeze in a view of the rooftop scenery on a trip to the New One Shopping Centre.
Emily wrote about her experience at the theatre:
I had been to London before with my family but hadn’t ever truly experienced how amazing our capital city could be until this school trip. The thing I was most excited about was the theatre trip. I have only been to the theatre once before but was really pleased that we would be seeing Dear Evan Hansen which I had already heard about.
We arrived at the theatre and received our tickets; I saw that I was in the Grand Circle, which I was very excited about as I knew I would have an amazing view. During the show, there were some very moving musical pieces with lights shining from the stage accompanying the dramatic music. At the end of the show I was extremely impressed with the amazing singing and the hard work the actors had put in. Overall, it was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
Aidan’s favourite part of the trip was the Natural History Museum, here are his thoughts: Around every corner of the Natural History Museum there was a new fact to discover or a new dinosaur to find. I loved that there were so many things to do and see. When we arrived, my friends and I began exploring the museum, starting with an area about the Earth’s history. There were giant models showing the different layers of the earth and its components. It was so interesting!
After some walking, we arrived at an area about rocks and minerals. There were many different types of gems and rocks to see, my favourite was a shiny blue gem that looked like the ocean. Finally, after lots more walking, we came across my favourite part of the museum, the dinosaurs. It started with skeletons of small dinosaurs, each one having a different fact to read. The further we walked, the bigger the dinosaurs got, eventually seeing dippy who had recently returned to the museum after doing a nationwide tour. We had the best time in the museum, a perfect end to a fantastic trip.
The visit was hugely inspiring for pupils, many of whom have a passion for food, nutrition, and design, and were given some experience in the bakeries and workshops which they will be able to use in their future careers.
Seth said of the trip, it was amazing and the best thing I have done in the summer holidays. It is the first time I have been away on holiday without my Mum and Dad. We were so excited and had so much fun that I did not have time to miss home.
On the train to London, I made lots of new friends in different year groups. Everyone on the trip was very kind and friendly. I made new friends with the boys I shared a room with, playing tricks and laughing a lot.
As well as the activities mentioned above, we also learned a lot about the history of London whilst on open top bus trips and a boat ride on the Thames.
When we arrived home, I told everyone that this had been the best trip ever. Thank you to Mrs Rossall for organising the trip and the other teachers who gave up a week of their summer to take us. A trip we will remember forever.
