BTEC Hospitality pupils visited London to research commodities, beverages & customer service

November 27th 2025

The U6^th Form BTEC Hospitality pupils spent two days in London researching commodities, beverages and customer service to enable them to complete coursework. First stop was a very busy and bustling Borough Market where pupils were tasked with searching for commodities and specialist ingredients for fine dining. It was also a perfect opportunity to identify trends such as wild mushrooms, functional health drinks and fancy doughnuts to name but a few. We then visited the imposing Battersea Power Station to learn about beer at the Battersea Micro Brewery The pupils had a talk from their manager who explained the process of making and storage, which forms part of Unit 7 in the coursework specification. From there, everyone took part in a Mocktail making workshop hosted by The Alchemist It was great fun and pupils got to experiment with mixology and smoke bubbles. Brilliant knowledge from their staff who were super welcoming to such a big group. The evening was spent at Busaba Covent Garden where we enjoyed delicious Asian fusion food, followed by a walk around to see the beautiful Christmas lights.

Day two took us to Spitalfields for street food trends and Eataly to study fine dining high quality ingredients. Eataly is an Italian emporium over two floors with inspirational packaging, quality of ingredients and a change to research Protected Designation of Origin such as Parma ham and Modena balsamic. It was a real treat for our pupils to experience such contrasting foods. The afternoon was a chance to relax and enjoy a ‘fusion’ afternoon tea at The Sanctum Hotel providing inspiration for the U6^th Form culinary event next year. It certainly was a fun packed few days with plenty of sunshine and laughter. A real highlight to the term so far and lots of great information gained for back in the classroom!

Thank you to Mrs Portch for her help on the trip.

Emily McMunn - Head of Food Studies