A semi-retired butcher and founder of award-winning family business, Higginsons of Grange has turned his hand to teaching the upcoming generation of chefs in his local area.

Stuart Higginson delivered his first masterclass to a small group of students last month at Kendal College.

Apprentice Lecturer, Andrew Salt approached Stuart in the hope that he would be willing to use his years of experience to educate and enthuse their young chefs.

Andrew said, “Our Apprentice Chef’s and NVQ Level 2 students are eager to learn from industry professionals. Stuart kindly agreed to come in and share his butchery expertise and his knowledge of farming practices with the class.”

During the class, Stuart demonstrated a number of butchery and meat preparation techniques as well as sharing valuable insight into meat production, benefits of sourcing local meat, traceability and seasonality.

Andrew added, “It has been invaluable for the learners to learn first-hand about how to minimize wastage when breaking down the whole animal. We looked at the different cuts including what you can do with some of the lesser-known cuts and about the costings involved.”

The students were each given some minced lamb and asked to design their own dish. After a cook off, Stuart was asked to pick a winner.

Stuart said, “It was lovely to be invited by Kendal College to give a talk to their student chefs.  For me, it was a great opportunity to be able to give something back into the local community.

“I was very impressed with professionalism of the students and the whole operation. They demonstrated lots of creativity, showed plenty of interest and asked lots of good questions”.

Andrew added, “Overall, it was a fantastic experience for the learners. Kendal College would like to thank Stuart for an outstanding butchery demonstration.  Not only did the learners have the opportunity to observe a true professional, but they also learnt about what it takes to start and maintain a successful business.” 

If you are interested in an Apprenticeship or part time hospitality course or would like any further details, please contact Kendal College via email [email protected] or alternatively call on 01539 814700.