learning process and it’s the only way I’ll get better.
I’ve learnt so many new skills – some more difficult than others, and some of the more basic skills such as how to engage with our customers, how to communicate well and hold a good conversation, which may seem so ordinary but is so different when you really start to understand more about each individual guest.
My favourite dishes are the smoked haddock which is served in a ‘quiche lorraine’ style with confit egg yolk, lyonnaise onions, avruga caviar and a haddock sauce for a starter. For the main course, I would have to pick the rib of beef with bordelaise sauce - it’s perfectly cooked and just melts in the mouth. The dessert, of course, has to be “a fairground tale”, with its three amazing courses consisting of coconut soufflé, the carousel (with chocolate treats) and then hot doughnuts with raspberry curd and muscovado walnuts.
At the end of a working day, I feel like I’ve been so productive and have achieved the different goals that I’ve been set. It’s hard work and tiring and I admire anyone in this industry that works as hard as catering and hospitality staff do. But it’s a great feeling when you know you’ve done your best and everyone recognises it - you leave work feeling like you’ve done your job well, ready to start the next day.
By the end of the one-year course, I would love to have mastered my latte art to perfection, know more about wine and can allow myself to walk away saying I’ve learnt as much as I possibly could. A personal goal of mine is to grow in confidence and improved my people skills to a level that I’m happy with, which I definitely think No.6 will help me to achieve.
Olivia Carthew is a front of house apprentice at No.6 with Truro and Penwith College, as part of The Paul Ainsworth Academy.
