FAMOUS faces from the culinary world were in Taunton to launch a new educational facility.

A grand opening event for a new Teaching Kitchen at Queen’s College welcomed more than 20 renowned chefs, including four Michelin-starred culinary experts: Dame Prue Leith DBE, Michael Caines MBE, chef Simon Hulstone, and chef Mark Dodson.

Queen’s has launched the new state-of-the-art facility and partnered with Leiths Education of London and the University of Roehampton in London for a “significant milestone in culinary education in the south west”.

The special event was inaugurated by celebrity food broadcaster, presenter and writer Prue, who cut the ribbon officially opening the new state-of-the-art Teaching Kitchen.

Chef Michael Caines MBE, Dame Prue Leith DBE, and Joe Mann, head of Food, Art & Design at Queen’s College

Special guests were treated to a selection of canapés and a drinks reception prepared by a team of Food and Nutrition pupils at the school, alongside head chef, Jordan Bradley.

Throughout the opening, Queen’s pupils had the opportunity to network with Prue and the other esteemed chefs, asking questions about their careers and culinary expertise.

Cutting the ribbon, Dame Prue said: “Queen’s College, Taunton, is the best school I have ever seen for food, and I have been to a lot of schools.

“If every school had this attitude we would have a generation of healthier children.

“It’s wonderful to see a school do what every school should do, take food seriously, I just feel so passionately that we have a duty to teach young people to eat, teaching them to cook is fine, but if we can just teach them to understand food and to love good food, to love healthy food, we set them up for life.”

Joe Mann, head of Food, Art & Design at Queen’s College, went on: “There is a growing disconnect between young people and where their food comes from. Every day, we work to bridge that gap.

“Teaching a love for food, a passion for cooking, and a deeper understanding of how to eat well.

“The opening of our brand-new teaching kitchen is a significant step forward in our mission to achieve this.

“We are thrilled to have welcomed over 20 renowned chefs, including Dame Prue Leith and Michael Caines MBE, joining us in championing this cause. Their support highlights the importance of food education and the impact Queen’s College can have on future generations.”

Maria Dunbar, CEO of Leiths Education, said of the collaboration with Queen’s: “Joining the world of professional catering and hospitality has changed radically in the past 10 years and more young people are attracted to it.

“This generation understands that the opportunities it offers are diverse: recipe developers, food stylists, journalists, TV production, photography and, of course, as chefs.

“Investment in their education and training needs to keep pace which is why we are so pleased to be providing our courses for this new, exciting development at Queen’s College.”

As well as delivering the Leiths Education courses, Queen’s has been chosen as a placement school by the University of Roehampton, who will use the new state-of-the-art Teaching Kitchen to provide a new Food and Nutrition Teacher training qualification.Among the guests at the event were Queen’s College Alumni including chef Kate Michaels, a Young Chef of the Year finalist and Cordon Bleu graduate, as well as award-winning food author chef Miranda Shearer, a Taste of the West Gold Award recipient.

Students Hannah and Ellie were among those who had the honour of preparing food for Prue Leith.

“Cooking for Dame Prue with our head chef was a truly eye-opening experience,” said Hannah. “It gave me a real sense of what it will be like to work in the industry when I’m older.

“Having the opportunity to cook for such renowned chefs was an incredible honour.”

Ellie added: “The entire journey of learning about food and nutrition has been an incredible experience.

“Having a brand-new kitchen to continue that learning makes it even more exciting. It’s an amazing opportunity to develop new skills and deepen our understanding of food in a hands-on way.”

For more details on Queen’s College, and the courses available, contact the Admissions team on 01823 272559, or email admissions@queenscollege.org.uk.