Hospitality students showcase excellence at St David’s Cathedral
In a festive celebration of community and service, professional cookery and hospitality students from Coleg Ceredigion’s Cardigan campus were honoured with a special invitation to The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales community carol service at St David’s Cathedral.
At the Together at Christmas annual event, they were tasked with creating complimentary additions for guests at the evening’s proceedings.
As “Love in the Community” was the theme of the Service, the students chose to handcraft bespoke heart-shaped vanilla and chocolate shortbread biscuits and attended the event in their hospitality uniforms.
The event saw students produce 800 biscuits to create 400 individual gift bags, ensuring every guest received a beautifully packaged pair of handcrafted treats.
The Together at Christmas community carols event is spearheaded by the Princess of Wales and The Royal Foundation and culminates in a TV broadcasted service, filmed at Westminster Abbey.
As well as the Westminster Abbey service, 15 community carol services have been supported by The Royal Foundation across the UK, led by Lord Lieutenants, featuring carols, readings and recognition for local people.
The students represented Coleg Ceredigion and Bwyty Maes y Parc, which is the college’s training restaurant based at Cardigan campus.
The event was spectacular in its delivery with the cathedral choir, harpists and choristers performing demanding solos and musical compositions as well as audience sing-a-longs.
Huw Morgan, Coleg Ceredigion professional cookery and hospitality lecturer said: “It has been a great honour to produce this gift for the community carol service hosted by His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, Sarah Edwards, and supported by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.”
“Over recent weeks, the department has worked intensively to develop, refine and produce this bespoke gift, with learners fully engaged in every stage of the process - from recipe development and preparation to baking and packaging - resulting in the production of over 800 handcrafted biscuits.”
“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Hazel Thomas DL for proposing and recommending Bwyty Maes y Parc for this prestigious opportunity.
“This project has provided a truly unique and memorable experience for our learners, offering an exceptional real-world insight into working to the highest professional standards.
“It was particularly special for the three learners selected to present the biscuits in person at the event held at St David’s Cathedral - an experience they will undoubtedly carry with them throughout their future careers.”
The Lord-Lieutenant warmly thanked everyone involved and said that it was a great pleasure to help showcase the professionalism and talent of the young people and that the heart shaped biscuits were not only beautifully presented but perfectly baked.
