Telford Students Master The Art of Breadmaking
Students from Telford College of Arts and Technology learnt all about bread when they were visited by regional family baker Roberts Bakery.
Roberts Bakery, which makes 80 million loaves a year and supplies bread to convenience stores and supermarkets throughout the region, talked to the students about how bread is made and how it can form part of a healthy lifestyle. The students then rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in to making some delicious bread of their own. The students were involved in every stage of the breadmaking process, from weighing out the ingredients accurately and kneading the dough to the correct consistency to allowing it to rest before it goes in the oven.
The visit from Roberts formed part of a kitchen confidence module in an accredited course for the students who have a range of special learning needs. The course aims to equip the students with practical skills that will help them to live independently in the community.
Pam Mundy, catering lecturer at Telford College of Arts and Technology, said: “Our courses are all about relevance to life. This visit from Roberts Bakery was very valuable in underlining the importance of healthy living and it gave the students new skills and ideas to help them gain more independence. They thoroughly enjoyed baking the bread, which was great fun and really helped them to understand that just a few ingredients can make a delicious loaf.”
Keith Birkett of Roberts Bakery added: “This was a great visit and it’s so rewarding to play a role in this interesting and relevant course topic. The students obviously got a lot out of the sessions and really enjoyed making and, more importantly, tasting the bread that they had made themselves.”
Celebrating 125 years of baking bread, independent bakery Roberts Bakery was established in 1887. The company has operated from its current premises in Northwich, Cheshire since 1952. The site is kitted out with state-of-the art equipment, which enables the company to produce 1.5 million consistently high quality loaves a week. For four generations, the Roberts family has continued the skilled tradition of baking fine bread, with many members of the Roberts family still actively working for the business.
