On Sunday, 12th June, I was lucky enough to take two Year 9 Frome College GCSE Food students, Maddie Backburn and Rachel Braes, to report on Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park in Bath – a gourmet food extravaganza – for the College Radio Club on Frome FM.

The three-day feast had the very best food the country has to offer, with a stellar line-up of world-class chefs, and an amazing line-up of bands, including Razorlight, Squeeze, Scouting for Girls and Tom Odell. Michelin-starred pubs were dotted around Victoria Park, plus a selection of other top UK pubs and restaurants, to serve their most popular dishes. All this, combined with great live music and chef demonstrations.

The students were able to take inspiration from some of the best chefs in the country, including Chew Magna’s Josh Eggleton, Angela Hartnett, Paul Ainsworth and Tom Kerridge. We were lucky enough to secure backstage passes and entry into the VIP area, where we were excited to meet Candice Brown, former winner of the Bake Off. Maddie and Rachel were a little star struck, but she was keen to offer advice and reassurance to them about taking their GCSE in Food and Nutrition.

The girls and I were also lucky enough to visit the kitchen of Tom’s pub, The Hand & Flowers, and witness their chefs at work. We even managed to grab a sneaky picture with the man himself, who we were delighted to see busy serving customers. He said: “We are showcasing flavours, so each pub will showcase what they do in a way that people buy in to. You are buying a pot of the flavour for a fiver. For each chef, it is your recipe, and your personality in that pot.”

On top of nationally-famous chefs and music acts, the event celebrated the local community in the form of brilliant local artisans, pubs, local foodie heroes and musicians. This brought about a great community spirit and we learnt about quality local produce.

At the end of this summer term, the Year 9 GCSE Food students at Frome College will be planning to cook a ‘Street Food Festival’, celebrating international cuisines which will showcase the students’ skills and creative flair. This mini festival experience has been fantastic and incredibly inspiring.

Maddie and Rachel were great ambassadors for the College, securing interviews with popular band, Scouting for Girls and multi-million record producing band, Squeeze, who were engaging with the students. It was lovely for them to experience VIP treatment, and meet some great celebrities.

E. McMunn