Today was a day of studying - this is not my forte. Not so much fun!

Tomorrow we have 3 written papers to include questions on:
Food Costing
Menu Planning
Fire Precautions
Food Hygiene
HACCP
Freezing
Emergency Situations
Seasonality
Cheesemaking
Bread
Chocolate
Tea
Game
Pastry, Flours & Yeast
Cookery Terms
Jam Making
Preserving
Sushi
Compost
Mother & Daughter Sauces
Oils & Vinegars

And as if that wasnt enough we also have to identify:
Spices & name 1 recipe
Herbs & name 2 recipes
Salad leaves
Fish & name 1 recipe
Meat & name 1 recipe

Cant wait!

So today was the big test - a few weeks ago we had to come up with a menu - 3 courses & 1 bread (we were allocated a bread), 3 hours - what fun?!

On my menu was:

Spiced Goujons of Sole with a Wild Garlic Aioli

Roast Chicken with Stuffing, Roast Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, Purple Sprouting Brocolli, Bread Sauce & Gravy

Panna Cotta with a Rhubarb Compote & topped with Almond Praline

White Yeast Bread Rolls

So today we had our last demo presented by Rory. I cant even remember what he did right now because there's so much stuff going on in my head right now. But it was the last one and everyone (well almost) is feeling pretty glum about the whole thing.

Im just about to get changed & go into the kitchens make my panna cotta in cook ahead. Eek, hope it all goes ok & it sets & the vanilla seeds dont sink to the bottom etc. etc.

Forgot my camera again today so no picture, sorry!

Today was our last day of cooking as normal - the next time we cook in the kitchens will be exam day (Wednesday for me, Thursday for some) scary!

So today we had a couple of things to make but could make whatever else we wanted so I thought it would be a nice idea to make my Berry Crunchy Coconut Slice as lots of people had asked about it. I made it with Strawberries & Blueberries instead of Raspberries & Strawberries so it wasn't quite the same but everyone said they liked it - although they could have been lying.

Friday was one of those "should have stayed in bed" days. I dont know what happens to me but some days I just seem to get everything wrong. Also my parents were coming for lunch and I wanted to show them what I made & finish on time to have lunch with them - nope, not possible!

Today I started making Croissants. its a lengthy process so its best to do it over 2 days when we have other things to do. So I mixed the dough/pastry (its kind of a mixture of both) and then left it rest. After 2 hours I rolled it out, added a whole load of butter, folded it, rolled it out again and refrigerated. Then after another few hours I went back and rolled it out & folded it again. Ill shape & bake them tomorrow.

So wine exam at 8.30am - that was fun! 100 multiple choice questions and I did try to study but ended up guessing a lot of the answers. We'll have to wait & see how I faired out in that!

The morning demonstration with Philip Denhart on butchery etc. He cut up a pig basically!

Afternoon demo on Filo Pastry and the many ways of shaping & filling it. And Buns as in sticky buns such as Chelsea Buns, Hot Cross Buns etc. and also some doughnuts.

Today went a lot smoother than yesterday. I still managed to fit in a bread - this time Granary Loaf.

Mixed flour & salt - mixed water, yeast & treacle & combined all of them together to make the dough. Kneaded it for 10 mins & left to rise for an hour. Then knocked it back & kneaded it for a few mins, then shaped it & put it into an oiled tin to rise again.

Today was another busy one because Im trying to fit in as much as I can before its all over!

I started with Focaccia made with olive oil dough. its a white yeast bread so still needs kneading & rising. I left my over rise but chilled it for a bit which made it less spring. Then shaped it into a flat loaf, dimpled it, sprinkled with sea salt & olive oil & left it rise again. It worked out really well & was really tasty.

Ok, Im still sick but decided I wasnt sick enough to miss a morning in the kitchen. After a few hours of working away I started feeling very tired & everything was taking so long that I just wanted to finish & then forgot to take photos.

Anyway I made another batch of Puff pastry - same as last time make pastry dough - roll, shape, roll, shape, chill (3 times) - Ill use this on Monday.