YOUNG Leamington foodies have been treated to a cooking masterclass by a MasterChef: The Professionals winner.
Students from Oakley School visited Mallory Court Hotel and Spa to meet Stu Deeley, who is executive head chef at The Warwick restaurant, which was recently added to the Michelin Guide.
The GCSE Food Prep and Nutrition students gained exclusive access to the kitchen to find out more about Stu’s career pathway, before getting hands-on by making and piping one of his favourite desserts, the baked Alaska, which features ice cream on a sponge cake base, completely covered in stiff meringue.
The session was arranged by Warwickshire’s tourist board, Shakespeare’s England, to mark English Tourism Week, which seeks to highlight the economic value that tourism organisations bring to their communities.
In south Warwickshire alone, tourism employs more than 15,300 people and attracted 9.9 million day visits in 2024, according to the latest research conducted on behalf of Shakespeare’s England.
It also comes as figures from UK Hospitality show that there is a sector-wide shortage of 132,000 hospitality workers.
Stu said: “I became hands-on with food from 11-years-old when I started helping my mum with cooking, and that really helped to kickstart my interest in experimenting with food – and eventually a fantastic career.
“Providing engaging and hands-on experiences are a really important way to promote the variety of hospitality careers to the next generation.
“Hopefully the students we’ve had here today take away a memory that will stay with them, and it encourages them to pursue a career in the kitchen or another part of the industry.”
Mike Few, assistant head at Oakley School, continued: “This was a really exciting opportunity for our students to experience a professional working kitchen, whilst inspiring them to think about a potential role in hospitality.
“We are a fairly new school, so we are looking forward to further partnerships with Mallory Court to develop our students’ experience of the world of work alongside enriching our curriculum.”
Matt Western, Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, also attended Stu’s masterclass.
He added: “Tourism is a key industry here in Warwick and Leamington, so it was a pleasure to join Stu and the Oakley School students to see in action the careers available for local people in the hospitality sector.
“I would also like to take the opportunity to congratulate Stu and the team at The Warwick for their recent addition to the Michelin Guide.
“I must admit that I do like a sweet treat, so the baked Alaska was right up my street.”
