Become a top pastry chef or work in a high-end bakery! You can specialise in patisserie and confectionery, taking your skills to a professional level. You’ll learn advanced techniques and explore the world of fine desserts, pastries, and decorative showpieces. With this demanding and practical course, you’ll be prepared to work at industry standards, setting you up for a successful career in the hospitality and catering industry.
What You’ll Learn
You’ll develop advanced skills and finesse your techniques to create stunning patisserie products, from delicate petits fours to elaborate cakes and sponges. You’ll also learn how to supervise food safety and manage staff in a professional kitchen, preparing you for leadership roles in the industry. In addition, you’ll explore the world of gastronomy, gaining a deeper understanding of culinary traditions and trends.
You’ll be required to work with precision and creativity to produce top-quality patisserie products. You’ll also get the chance to attend shows and see some of the country’s best pastry chefs in action, inspiring you to refine your own style and techniques.
You’ll study topics such as:
- Dough and batter products
- Petit fours
- Hot, cold, and frozen desserts
- Cakes, sponges, and pastries
- Display pieces and decorative items
- Food safety supervision
- Supervising staff
- Exploring gastronomy
With a combination of theory and practical sessions, this course will prepare you for a professional role in patisserie and confectionery.
Highlights
You can look forward to:
- A one-week work experience block with the chance to work at Farncombe Estate and other local employers
- Trips will be organised to places such as Borough Market in London, Bristol street foods, local employers, hospitality expos such as Hotel Olympia and the Good Food show.
- Guest speakers and masterclasses from our portfolio of employers, from Michelin star restaurants to street food
- Industry standard kitchens with the latest technology
- Real experience working in our on-site restaurant
Assessment
Assessment combines hands-on practice and theory, with assessments through practical tasks and short tests. You’ll build a logbook to show what you’ve produced, and complete practical assessments too.
Anything else?
A GC uniform is required and available at a discounted price from Russums, our national supplier. Student grants may cover the cost if eligible.
You’ll attend college 3 to 4 days a week, with additional time dedicated to professional development, part-time work, and homework.
In addition to the course, you’ll also develop transferable soft skills and professional standards that will prepare you for your next steps in catering and hospitality. We set a target of 100 hours for professional development through activities like part-time work, training days, or courses. You’ll also complete the college’s Which Three Skills programme to develop skills like communication, teamwork, resilience and more.
At Gloucestershire College we want students to develop their English and Maths skills so that they achieve their learning goals and future career aims. For this reason, all full-time students (16-18) who have not achieved grade 4 or above English language or maths GCSE will study these subjects as part of their course.
Uniform and Kit:
We strongly recommend that you do not purchase kit until you have been officially enrolled and received confirmation of this, all enrolments are subject to the conditions of your offer previously communicated to you.
Click Here: Uniform & Kit information
If you require financial assistance please contact our Student Services team by calling 0345 155 2020 (option 4) or email info@gloscol.ac.uk
