Talented Weston College student Ben Debreceni left Hungary for the UK aged 15 three years ago. Now he is a finalist in South West Student Chef of the Year competition. 

Ben, 18, of Clevedon, already beat scores of competitors who fought for a semi-finalist place in front of judges including top chef Michael Caines MBE, and  will battle it out at Exeter College on October 27^th.

Ben’s culinary expertise in the semi-finals saw him create two delicious set dishes for examiners in just 90 minutes.

The first was butter poached whiting with razor clams, beurre blanc, garlic-infused spring onions, radishes and baby beetroot and the second was pan-roasted pork fillet with potato tubes, texture of cauliflower, heritage carrots and red wine jus.

For the final he will have to create two new dishes with cod and lamb neck fillets as the main ingredients.

Ben said: “The experience of competing was amazing, and I never thought about getting into the final. Credit has to go to all my College lecturers for their teaching, support and faith in me.”   

Senior Weston College Chef Lecturer and mentor to Ben, Jos Wellman said: “Ben is an outstanding student with a genuine passion for food. He produces consistently wonderful food that tempts the eye and the palate.

“His level of professionalism shines through and he is a credit to himself and   to the College, especially as he only started learning English three years ago.”          

While Ben is training at Weston College, he has also been accepted into the Casamia Academy in Bristol. The Michelin Star chefs there have teamed up with the College to launch a specialist hands-on teaching facility.

Lecturer Jos, who has cooked for Royalty, Presidents and celebrities including her Majesty the Queen, Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Frank Sinatra, Bond actors and Bon Jovi as well as US Presidents Carter, Reagan, Clinton and George Bush’s Senior and Junior, added: “If Ben carries on like this the world is his oyster. Cooking is an amazing career if you love creating wonderful food.”

The College is now taking bookings for its on-site refurbished Grove Restaurant offering  three-course lunches on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and dinners Tuesday and Wednesday from as little as £8.

The second-floor accessible restaurant can also be booked out privately for groups of 20-plus.

To book please call 01934 411 422 or email groverestaurant@weston.ac.uk

As Weston College’s popular Creative Art’s Summer Show opens to the public today (Wednesday 15th June), students have revealed their inspiration behind this year’s theme.

Laura Martins (19) and Lauren Poole (20), who are both studying Graphic Design Foundation Degrees in partnership with Bath Spa University at Weston College’s Loxton Campus, were tasked with creating the show’s branding and its overall theme.

Their concept ‘Infinity’ was chosen as it depicted the many different possibilities that students studying creative arts courses could pursue in the future.

Lauren said: “This is a showcase of hundreds of students’ work, each one with their own journey behind and ahead of them, with an infinite number of possibilities.

“We decided to create a brand around the idea that the artists on show here are infinitely expanding and growing as artists, exploring an infinite number of possibilities and artistic routes.

“Despite the huge scope of the event, we decided to keep the brand itself simple and approachable as it has to relate to everyone who sees it.”

The Weston College Summer Show allows the College’s Creative Arts students the opportunity to display their work to the public and forms a part of their assessment.

The show sees the campus, in Loxton Road, transformed into an art gallery with students on courses such art, graphic design and film exhibiting their work inside the building, while students studying music perform outside the venue.

The show is free to enter and open to the public until Thursday 23rd June between 10am - 4pm, and on Saturday 18th June from 10am - 2pm.

Students taking English GCSEs at Weston College have smashed national benchmarks with exceptionally high pass rates.

Of the 23 students who took their GCSE English exam before Christmas, 20 achieved a grade C or above, putting the pass rate at 87% – miles ahead of the 27% national benchmark.

The students were a combination of new learners to the College and returning learners, who have previously failed to obtain the C grade required to progress to further education.

These results are a huge cause for celebration, and go to show how Weston College supports its learners to achieve.

Kelly O’Connor, Subject Area Manager for GCSE English, said: “These results just go to show how hard work really can pay off.

“I’m immensely proud of my students and am confident that they have paved their way to successful futures.”

Weston College offers several options to support learners who have previously not taken GCSE English, or haven’t achieved a C grade.