The Student: Georgia Irving

Lettice Events: ‘Day in the life’ Diploma work experience diary

My day at Lettice Events began at 9am. The sun was shining and as I rang the bell to be let into the building, I felt a mix of nerves and excitement. The head chef greeted me warmly and introduced me to the rest of the team, all of whom were busy prepping for the various events they had on this week. The kitchen was large, bright and surprisingly calm – as a culinary student with no prior experience in professional kitchens, I felt relieved and instantly at home. After a safety briefing and a tour around the kitchen, I was handed a crisp apron, a tea towel and directed to the pastry section along with my fellow Leiths students (Robyn, Helen and Ella). Our first task? Making marshmallows! Zoe (the pastry chef) was a great teacher and we all had a lot of fun making our own flavour combinations.

As the morning progressed, I rotated between stations under the supervision of experienced chefs who were incredibly generous with their guidance. I learned how to plate canapés, reduce food waste through creative offcuts and properly organise myself for success when prepping dishes at such a large scale. The kitchen moved like a well-oiled machine, the chefs worked so efficiently and quickly, it was impressive to watch! I loved learning about all the chef’s backgrounds and experience in the industry, they offered great advice for newcomers starting out.

For lunch we had a delicious salad packed full of vegetables and burrata, there was also chicken and salmon – I had been told that an indication of a good kitchen is one who feeds their staff well and Lettice certainly didn’t disappoint! Robyn had been working on the canapé section (which we all had the opportunity to do throughout the week) and had put together a gorgeous selection of canapes for us to try too so we sat outside in the sun and ate every single one – they were absolutely delicious.

The highlight of the day came in the afternoon when we got to accompany the team to the event venue – a beautifully designed canapé  evening at the Saatchi Gallery that Lettice themselves were hosting to celebrate the company’s 30th birthday. The canapé s showcased the best and most iconic of all their designs and Robyn, Helen, Ella and I were entrusted to help prepare and deliver everything under the guidance of Seb, a Lettice chef who also graduated from Leiths 10 years ago! It was great fun to be a part of and the event ran smoothly, it was an excellent introduction into what life in catering might look like. Hearing that guests were genuinely impressed by the food and presentation gave us a huge sense of accomplishment. By the time the event ended, we were tired but buzzing from the adrenaline of service, we all couldn’t wait to get back in the kitchen again the next day!