A Conversation With... Chef Aaron Thompson

Just how much is involved in running the kitchens here at Shiplake...? Well in today's 'A Conversation With...', the penultimate of the Autumn Term, you can find out as we catch up with our Head Chef, Mr Aaron Thompson! Get all the stats and details behind the kitchen, as well as learn more about Aaron's route into cooking, in today's feature.

What is your role and how long have you been working at Shiplake? 

My role is Executive Chef Manager where I look after the Catering Department here at Shiplake. I have been working at Shiplake just a little over two years.

What were you doing before working at Shiplake? 

Before working at Shiplake, I worked at Farleigh School in Andover and before that, I was in South Africa where I worked in stadiums. 

What is a day in the life like for you here at the College? 

A day in the life for me involves coming in to check on the breakfast service with the chefs and front of house staff, before going over the prep lists with the junior chefs for the day’s ‘Mise en place’. I then go over all upcoming hospitality jobs with the staff that have been allocated to it for the day and lunch services. In my position, I also do a lot of administration including organising staff – this I do in the quieter kitchen hours between services. If we have days where we are short staffed or very busy with hospitality, I fill those roles, so we keep up the levels of service that we are known for. 

How did you become a chef and why did you want to do so? 

I didn’t really plan to be a chef if I’m honest. I spent a year after school where I worked at Longleat in their restaurant and deli while I decided what to do next. When one of the chefs left, they asked if I would like to try. That lead to me staying and pursuing a career in being a chef - it wasn’t planned, but after working in the kitchen, I knew that it was something I enjoyed. I also get to use cooking as a creative outlet which gives me the drive to see where it can take me in the future.

Just how much work goes into preparing school meals on a daily basis...? 

A large amount of work goes into getting all the food and set ups done daily to get the school meals out. We have a team of 22 staff that all play an important role, from the kitchen porters to the managers. On average, we go through 4200 eggs a month, 1.4 tons of potatoes a month, and 980 litres of milk a month which gives you an idea of the scale of preparation that we do. As you can imagine, with those amounts, a lot of manual labour is involved even without the 1.5 tons of meat/poultry and fish that we cook in a week. 

With the College's Christmas Lunch just around the corner, how much meat, veg and gravy is being brought in? 

The Christmas lunch is a great event and the staff here in the Catering Department really look forward to it every year. We will cook around 120kg of protein for the day and make over 60 litres of gravy just for the lunch. 

What do you do outside of work? 

I like to go to the gym as much as I can when I am not too busy with work and the children aren’t at home. I also like going to food fares and street food competitions. My favourite is Wingfest as I love chicken wings.

What does the future hold for Chef Aaron? 

I have in the past worked my way up to Development Chef which is the role above what I currently do now though I stepped down to spend more time with my family. The role involves looking after a food portfolio and brand standards for many schools in a region. I would like to look at doing that role again in the future when my daughter is a bit older but currently, I’m enjoying my time here at Shiplake.