Ely College Students Get A Taste For Work

Ely College students were getting their taste buds round a variety of liquid seasonings on January 30, as part of their focus on the food technology industry.

Jan Booth, a Product Application Technologist at Mildenhall-based Kalsec Europe Ltd, brought a selection of the firm's all-natural liquid seasonings, which were mixed with tinned tomato soup to demonstrate how their innovative products are used by food manufacturers around the world.

The students were treated to extracts from herbs and spices like basil, pepper, fennel, lemongrass and ginger, and learned how professional tasters experience and describe the flavours, as well as how they are used in every day products like ragu and oriental sauces.

Part of a US business founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1958, Kalsec Europe Ltd is keen to interact with students in its community, and to demonstrate that there are alternative avenues to working in the food industry besides becoming a chef or a farmer.

Jan Booth said: "We're keen to have students work with us on projects that develop their skills and awareness, and are looking forward to developing this relationship with Ely College further. This first visit was great; it was a privilege to engage with these young people and to show how the use of herbs and spices enhance the flavour of dishes when used in the right combination and intensity. The students' enthusiastic participation in the tasting session, despite the use of some unusual and strong flavours, was exhilarating."

Yvette Hill, Ely College's lead food technologist who organised the visit, added: "We are very grateful to Jan for her time and enthusiastic approach, and to Kalsec for supplying such a wide variety of samples. This is exactly the sort of real world learning that brings a subject like food technology to life for young people, and it was great to welcome Jan to the class to demonstrate her work in such an engaging way. The tasting session was fascinating, and added a new layer of understanding to the way these students will now experience food."