Work experience at Rick Stein's - Day 1 - Pastry

My first day at Rick Stein's seafood restaurant was in pastry. I was very nervous the night before but when I got there everybody was so lovely and helpful, all my nervouness went away really quickly.

I got a locker to put my stuff in and get changed. Then got shown around the storage area and the different fridges. All very confusing in the beginning, but already throughout the day it started to make more and more sense to me.

My first task was to make a bread and butter pudding, cutting the bread and layering it with sultanas and butter, then pouring over the soaking mixture and baking it off later on. Afterwards I made another mixture for the next day. I also prepared the tins for some chocolate mousse and then poured in the mixture for fondants and mousses. After that on to apple and frangipan tartlets, layering the apples beautifully in circles on top of the frangipan. Always preparing things for a day or so in advance, labelling everything very exactly and storing it for easy access when needed.

All that was really good fun and the staff really good fun. But what I found most interesting was the service for lunch time. The orders coming in first slowly because people were still on their mains, but then more and more and seeing the comi chef on service being very versed in preparing everything and the plates going out looking beautifully. I was amazed how simple, but all the more effective the presentation was and had to realise again how important really good mise en place is.

I was only supposed to do the early shift but I enjoyed myself so much and I wanted to see the evening service as well that I asked if I could come back. And it was worth while as well. Apart from preparing another bread and butter pudding mix and fruit for the breakfast service as well as some rhubarb for a cooked fruit accompaniment (I was very surprised to see that they serve panna cotta with cooked rhubarb and a tuiles - almost as I served my vanilla bavarois in my practical exam - and apparently that is the only way they serve it - if there is no rhubarb it it not on the menu), I saw the late service.

Much more going on here and at some point the order caming flying in at a pace that was almost difficult to keep up with. The thing that make the evening service more difficult as well - apart from the higher numbers of covers - 113 that night) is that for lunch most people choose the set menu with a limited choice of desserts whereas in the evening the selection of desserts is much bigger and then sometimes there are special requests as well.

When I went home in the end, I was really pleased and happy with my first day - not least because I saw my bread and pudding pudding being served!!!