School dinners and tempura vegetables - isn't that an oxymoron?

School dinners and tempura vegetables - isn't that an oxymoron?

13 October 2009

‘Food - Glorious Food' is of course an everyday occurrence at St Bede's Prep School, but especially so when former pupil Jonny Gorrill returned to take over ‘school dinners' for the day.

Jonny, who lives in Ripe, trained under Jamie Oliver and was involved in the launch of all four of the Jamie Italian restaurants.

His chef's day at St Bede's began at 6.30am preparing traditional ‘Friday Fish and Chips' with the help of the school's catering manager Darren Peirce and his brilliant team.

But this of course was fish and chips with a difference - the accent being on healthy and fun food, such as the tempura vegetables that accompanied the meal. Jonny had chosen some really unusual vegetables such as a broccoli that looks like a cauliflower which the children had fun trying to identify.

The food certainly received the ‘thumbs up' from the pupils and in the evening Jonny produced ‘Posh Friday Fish and Chips' for over 100 parents and friends in the school's brand new dining room and kitchens, which have huge picture windows capturing the view out to sea.

Parents sat down to a starter of seasonal meats and marinated vegetable antipasti, served Jamie Oliver-style on wooden planks decorated with edible flowers. ‘Fish and Chips' in reality was monk fish, salmon and king prawns cooked in a very light, fennel-infused batter and served with tempura vegetables. The meal was finished off with a chocolate pot decorated with honeycomb and tiny chocolate crispy cakes made by the children and the Prefects proved the most superb and friendly waiters.

The general consensus was that the food was ‘Out of this world' and that anytime St Bede's decides to change the dining hall into a restaurant, and if Jonny is doing the cooking, it would be the most popular restaurant in town. Said one father: ‘I really didn't want to come, but it has been amazing. The dining room is like some top London restaurant - apart from the sea views of course, and I can't remember when I last tasted such amazing food'.

Jonny also spent five years at St Bede's Senior School and during his last two years followed the City and Guilds Culinary Skills course which, he says, developed his love of good food and cooking.

Photographs by former St Bede's student Oliver Perrott who specialises in food photography.