The Staff Canteen Live College Tour at Milton Keynes College

We went to Milton Keynes College today for the final edition of our TSC Live College Tour 2019 series. 

Joining us were pastry chef and director of Pretty Sweet London Claire Clark, Silverstone Circuits' executive chef, Dean

Hoddle, executive chef and owner of Paris House, Phil Fanning and executive chef of Michelin-starred restaurant The Oxford Kitchen Paul Welburn.

• Read about our College tour at Farnborough College of Technology
• Find out what happened at our TSC Live College Tour at  University College Birmingham 

The Staff Canteen Live College Tour event was created to reach out to catering students considering a career in hospitality, to give them advice and inspiration about the industry. 

The chefs were part of a panel discussion where they spoke about their own careers, from the goals that they set themselves when they were starting off to how they dealt with setbacks. They then answered questions about sustainability, how to prepare for an interview and what it is about being chefs that continues to inspires them. 

Prior to the discussion, students from Milton Keynes College and Castle Newnham school met with sponsors from Koppert Cress and Alaska Seafood as well as our partners at Hospitality Action. The event was also hosted in partnership with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts. 

Students were entered into a raffle and two lucky winners were given a goodie bag including a TSC mug and a cookbook, and one was awarded the chance to stage at one of the panel chefs' restaurants. 

The Staff Canteen also donated £250 to Hospitality Action on behalf of each of the chefs on the panel. 

Raffle winner Reece Richardson, a level 3 professional cookery student at Milton Keynes College said: "I really enjoyed the event, I was glad I came. I met some great people and hopefully I get to meet more great chefs like them in my career." 

He said he was most inspired by the chefs' advice "never to give up and to be loyal to improve yourself in your career." 

Paul Welburn of the Oxford Kitchen said he thinks it's really important for chefs to attend events in schools and colleges to inspire the next generation of chefs.

"There are lots of misconceptions about the industry about it being too hard, and it's often glamorised. It's really good to come back here and share our experiences." 

Claire Clark said: "if we're not here among them, how are they going to know what a great hospitality industry is? They need to have this information now." 

"Bringing us to them in their own environment and giving them this opportunity is absolutely amazing." 

Marketing representative for Alaska Seafood Alicia Parker said that to attend TSC Live College Tours is a great way of meeting young people before they go into the hospitality industry. 

"We think it's good to show them sustainable seafood and to raise the value of it so hopefully when they go out into the industry they can use it and recognise what the products are." 

"The college tours have a really great format, it's an intimate environment so you can have a good conversation with the students who come through. You can connect with them, show them the product, let them taste it, see what they like and really engage with them."