Serving up an Insight into the Food and Drink Industry

KGS pupils are pictured with Gary Nicolson from Orkney Marshmallows.

​During Kirkwall Grammar School’s recent Health and Wellbeing week we offered pupils a chance to gain an insight into careers in Orkney’s food and drink industry.

​The day started with pupils making dough which they left to prove while they headed through to Stromness to visit Argos Bakery where they were treated to a behind the scenes tour.  Pupils got to see where and how Orkney Fudge is made and were all surprised at how much manual work is involved in the process.  They then got to see the packing area which was a hive of activity packaging all the different cakes, rolls and biscuits that are made on site.

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During the tour, pupils heard about the different jobs and shifts available at Argos, learning that bakers have to work through the night to have the fresh bakes ready for the morning.  The pupils then got to observe the bakers working in their busy environment.  Jenna McDill also told them lots of interesting facts and figures about the quantity of food the company makes each week and how far across the world they are then shipped.
 
Inspired by their visit to the bakery, the pupils headed back to KGS where the dough they had made earlier was used to make some fantastic pizzas and bread rolls for their lunch.
 
The treats didn’t stop there as after lunch they welcomed chef Gary Nicolson.  Gary is Orkney’s current Masterchef and the owner of Box’d Orkney, who make Orkney Marshmallows.
 
Gary gave pupils a masterclass in making marshmallows, showing them the process of making a batch of marshmallows from start to finish.  During the demonstration he spoke about his career journey in the hospitality industry including the different roles he has had, which was a great insight for the pupils.
 
The session ended when Gary let pupils cut up the pre-made batch of marshmallow he brought with him, which they then toasted to make some delicious s’mores.
 
It was an interesting day which hopefully encouraged some of the pupils consider a career in hospitality in the future.
 
Huge thanks to Jenna at Argos and Gary for being so engaging and providing such a fantastic insight into the industry.