The Sixth Form forum is a four-week programme covering necessary practical skills in preparation for university life. These topics include personal safety and wellbeing, cooking, practicalities of student life and study skills beyond A Levels. Sam Lawson (Upper Sixth) wrote a report on this week’s cookery demonstration by John Devine, Catering Manager, which can be read below.

‘After a friendly welcome and a sit-down, the afternoon session started with Mr Devine introducing us to the Freshers Fifteen (the fifteen pounds that on average are put on in the first year due to poor diets at university).

He proceeded to teach us about how to best avoid this, providing examples of quick and easy meals to make at university. Some of the meals were a sirloin steak, fajitas, pasta carbonara, chicken chow mein, fish dishes and chicken curry – all of these which can be made in a simple kitchen on our own.

The information we all learnt at this session will be particularly useful for the future as it will help us to avoid spending excessive money on takeaways as we will be able to cook our own healthy nutritious meals on a budget, whilst also introducing us to useful culinary terms such as marbleised steaks and provenance.’