The college has hosted four online ‘lockdown’ Q&A masterclasses for students with chefs Ben Murphy, Freddie Forster, Selin Kiazim and Andrew Wong – all of whom are former students of the college. The Masterclasses gave a unique opportunity to hear the alumni talk about their careers and what they have learned along the way, as well as their top tips for success.

The first Masterclass was with Ben Murphy, head chef at Launceston Place restaurant in London’s Kensington, who gave a ‘warts and all’ talk about his career. He said: “The college is the foundation of everything that I learned, from holding a knife to making a base for a sauce.”

He went on to talk about those that influenced his career including mentor Norman Fu and his tutors at WestKing, whose advice and feedback he still seeks. Providing inspiration to the next generation of culinary and hospitality professionals, Ben told them: “You get out what you put in. The harder you work, the more you get. Live your best life, be happy and have no regrets.”

The next chef to share their expertise and experience was Saturday Kitchen regular and former Head Chef at le Pont de la Tour restaurant in London, Freddie Forster. Freddie’s masterclass covered everything from his favourite dishes to cook and eat, to staying positive and setting goals. Freddie provided a unique insight into the impact of the pandemic and how he believes it will affect the service industry. He discussed the need for restaurants to be more vigilant on spending money and how hygiene practices will change.

The third culinary masterclass was with Selin Kiazim, who graduated from the college in 2008.

Students questioned Selin on being a female in a male-dominated industry. She talked about the reputation that working in kitchens has and how working for Peter Gordon taught her that nurturing her staff is important. “The way that I treat people and the way I run my kitchen is very much in line with him [Peter Gordon],” she said.

Andrew Wong - host of the fourth Masterclass - grew up in a culinary family. His parents were restaurateurs, but the young Andrew was much more interested in studying to go to university than helping out in the kitchen. But people, and circumstances, change and after leaving university and training to be a chef at Westminster Kingsway College, Andrew is a highly accomplished chef with a Michelin Star for his restaurant A. Wong.

Programme Manager for the Professional Chefs Diploma at Westminster Kingsway College, Paul Jervis, said: “We are a very well-connected college and these masterclasses are a unique chance for students to hear first-hand from people who are not only their heroes in the industry, but who, like them, have studied here. We’ve been delighted to run the masterclasses and we are really grateful to Ben, Freddie, Selin and Andrew for taking part.”

“We have a lot of other talented and successful culinary alumni who we keep in regular contact with. We’re pleased that so many of them want to help inspire the next generation of chefs and so we’re planning more masterclasses, with more alumni, as the lockdown continues.”