Monday 8 July 2013

Looking Back...

Well, I've been home now for just over a week, so I think it's time to sit back & reflect on the last 10 months.

I suppose the biggest question is: Did I get everything I wanted from the course?

And mostly the answer is: Yes, I did.

I set out on the course with the intention of learning how to bake bread, from scratch.  And I think I can safely say that I now know how to bake bread!  Proper, lovely, handmade, tasty, beautiful bread.  I've even picked up a little bit of cheese making knowledge along the way, which is a bonus I think  =)

I still find it hard to believe now how far I've come  =)

So then the next question I guess, is: Was it worth it?

And, yeah, I think it was.

Let's not beat about the bush though, it is an expensive course.  I was lucky; I applied for a bursary & I got one.  Without that I'm not sure I'd have been able to afford to do the course at all.  Yeah I probably could have found a part-time job somewhere, but I was always reluctant to do that because I was conscious that there would be written work to do & I didn't want anything else distracting me or taking up my time.

I've gained new skills & met some really wonderful people, & generally had a bit of a ball  =)

There are still some aspects of the course which could be improved, but then the School is still only three years old.

One of the things I was most excited about before starting the course was the 'Creating an Artisan Business' module.  Now, you may have noticed that I never really blogged about the business stuff... The reason for that, if I'm being honest, is that it was a bit of a let down.  I'm not really sure what I was expecting from it, but I don't feel as though I've really learnt anything...

Some of the guest speakers were great; Kenneth Hill's social media talk was brilliant, as was the talk from the chap who came to talk to us about branding (whose name I foolishly can't recall).  But other then that, I don't really have anything good to say about it!  Which is a shame, it is, because I think quite a few people who might be interested in the course might also be keen to go out & start there own business, & I worry that the module in it's current incarnation just won't deliver...

The flour confectionery part of the course could have been improved as well... I mean, Clive is such a lovely guy, he really is, but he is a little bit retro in his approach... =)

A lot of the stuff we were doing was quite basic, or quite old fashioned, which is fine, but I would have liked to learn more modern, complicated techniques & skills.  But then I think this is the first year the School has done an actual flour confectionery module, so I think they're still finding their feet in that respect.

But overall, I'm still so glad I did the course; I think I've achieved pretty much everything I set out to achieve, & while we haven't had our final grades yet (should know in the next couple of weeks though), I'm hopeful that I've done well  =)

I've also been incredibly lucky, in that I've come out of the course, knowing exactly what I'm going to do  =D

Following on from my two week placement at the Two Magpies bakery, I've actually been offered a job with them!! =D

I'm so pleased!  =D

It really is a great opportunity to work with some really lovely people, in an amazing new bakery, in a really beautiful part of the world.  I've got a few things to do here at home first, but I should be moving down to Southwold towards the end of July  =)

So my time in Shropshire is drawing to a close, at least for now.  I'll be sad to leave; it's a beautiful county & I've got a lot of friends & family up here, but I'm also really excited to start this new chapter of my life.  My lovely boyfriend will be moving down to Southwold as well, once I've gotten somewhere to live, so it'll be the next chapter of our lives too  =)

Exciting times indeed  =)

For now, I'm going to enjoy the next couple of weeks, take some time out, relax, enjoy the sunshine, celebrate the numerous family birthdays we have in July (including mine!) & then begin to pack up my life!

I'll still continue to blog, after all, there's a whole world of baking related adventures out there waiting for me!

1 comment:

  1. Congratulations on the job offer, fantastic! Don't know that part of the country but I hear it is pretty. Glad you will continue to blog.

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