Maryculter House visit 3
Date
3rd Feb 2025
Employer
Maryculter House Hotel
School(s)
Portlethen Academy
Industry
Food and drink, Hospitality & Tourism
Maryculter House visit 3

Overview

A site visit to Maryculter House gave S3 practical cookery pupils an understanding of the processes involved in selecting local, seasonal and sustainable produce and using it to create menu items.

Key elements of the day included:

  • An introduction to the hotel and its history
  • A group exercise to identify key transferable skills associated with jobs in hospitality
  • A session with the hotel's river ghillie on the work involved in managing and protecting the two-mile stretch of the River Dee, which forms part of the hotel's grounds
  • An overview of how the hotel creates its menus, covering sustainability, seasonality, food waste, supporting local producers and social responsibility
  • A group activity to determine the provenance of different items on an ingredient list
  • A 'mystery basket' challenge to build a starter, main course and dessert using the ingredients provided
  • A guided tour of the hotel kitchen, following by a discussion with the hotel's HR Manager on the diversity of roles in hospitality,

Results and effectiveness

This extended visit gave pupils a thorough and meaningful insight into the hospitality industry, its intrinsic links with our local food and drink sector, and the importance of sustainability.

Pupils gained exposure to different areas of the hotel, including the professional working kitchen and a conference and banqueting suite. They also heard from senior staff in key roles and were able to ask them questions. The combination of talks and practical exercises aided pupils' learning and skills development.

Pupils visit a professional working kitchen

Additional benefits

Sustainability is a key consideration for all businesses. This site visit allowed pupils to understand how it is being addressed within the hospitality industry and the importance that Maryculter House places on it. The presentation with the hotel ghillie generated additional interesting discussion about the impacts of climate and environmental changes on the river and fishing stocks.

Sorting ingredients into those that are seasonal and Scottish

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