TRAINEE chefs at Great Yarmouth College are learning the latest techniques of French gastronomy fresh from the kitchens of Europe's leading hotel school.

TRAINEE chefs at Great Yarmouth College are learning the latest techniques of French gastronomy fresh from the kitchens of Europe's leading hotel school.

New dishes are already on the menu at the college's training restaurant using cutting edge methods learned by lecturer David Patterson on a four-day trip to the school in Lyon.

Mr Patterson was among six catering lecturers and six chefs chosen from kitchens from Scotland to Devon for a four day best practice experience in French culinary arts at the internationally renowned Paul Bocuse Institute.

French chef Bocuse, now in his 80s, is considered one of the finest of the 20th century and an ambassador of modern French cuisine.

His restaurant in Lyon has held three Michelin stars for more than 40 years and is only one of a handful in France to receive the rating.

Now students at Great Yarmouth, who already have regular masterclasses from top chefs, will learn the very latest skills to prepare them for jobs all over the world.

Mr Patterson said: “I took part in practical classes from old style French cooking to contemporary, the theory of gastronomy following the theory of cooking food from the Middle Ages to dishes of today and cheese and wine tasting sessions, marrying top French wines and cheeses.”

Dishes he learned there are being added to the menu at Ambitions Training Restaurant to be prepared by the students.

The 12 chefs on the trip have now formed a network to share resources and ideas and Mr Patterson will chair the group.

He will also travel to London to be interviewed by the industry's leading trade magazine The Hotel and Caterer to talk about his experiences.

The trip was funded by Great Yarmouth College and the Gateway to Excellence.