Modern Apprentice inspires Hospitality Assessor
Ayrshire College VQ Assessor for Hospitality, Angela Murray introduces us to inspirational Professional Cookery Modern Apprentice, Sanabel Dawod.
“Before I met Sanabel I had heard a lot about her, I can honestly say I was intrigued to meet this young person as I heard so many nice things about her and interesting things about her journey. I remember various people telling me she was a very inspirational person and a joy to be around.
The first day I met Sanabel in her primary school placement she was so appreciative of my being there and signing her up to start her SVQ in Professional Cookery. I remember thinking to myself immediately that I could understand why people were so inspired by her. I knew from our first meeting that this qualification meant a lot to her and she was so excited to get started.
Sanabel had been though a lot to get to this stage. After arriving from Syria as a refugee, she had been separated from her family and moved to various locations around the UK before arriving in Ayrshire. Throughout her travels around the UK, she had tried unsuccessfully to enter the education and skills system. Being on her own as a young woman, Sanabel showed great resilience and determination to succeed, even teaching herself to speak English from the internet.
After arriving in Ayrshire, Sanabel was delighted to be offered a Modern Apprenticeship in Professional Cookery with South Ayrshire Council.
Sanabel was a really keen and dedicated student. Within her placement, she had the opportunity to make some of her own Syrian dishes and present this to her colleagues and me. Her lamb curry, artichokes and al baraziq biscuits were delicious!
She progressed very quickly, often using Google Translate to understand methods of British cooking and recipes, and I visited her every week to see her cook various dishes. I have seen her settle into her job role, learn to work in a team and develop her cooking skills. Sanabel’s confidence and personality really grew throughout her course and this was reflected in her cookery.
Sanabel has just recently completed the SVQ part of her Modern Apprenticeship along with Health & Safety and an Elementary Food Hygiene Certificate. The day she completed her SVQ with me was such a happy occasion. I asked her what it meant to her and she said “It means so much to me to be qualified in professional cookery and to be able to use this Scottish Qualification. It has been a very good experience and has given me a chance to find myself. Seeing people like and enjoy my home dishes was so great, I love showing others what I can do”.
Sanabel had been though a lot to get to this stage. After arriving from Syria as a refugee, she had been separated from her family and moved to various locations around the UK before arriving in Ayrshire. Throughout her travels around the UK, she had tried unsuccessfully to enter the education and skills system. Being on her own as a young woman, Sanabel showed great resilience and determination to succeed, even teaching herself to speak English from the internet.
After arriving in Ayrshire, Sanabel was delighted to be offered a Modern Apprenticeship in Professional Cookery with South Ayrshire Council.
Sanabel was a really keen and dedicated student. Within her placement, she had the opportunity to make some of her own Syrian dishes and present this to her colleagues and me. Her lamb curry, artichokes and al baraziq biscuits were delicious!
She progressed very quickly, often using Google Translate to understand methods of British cooking and recipes, and I visited her every week to see her cook various dishes. I have seen her settle into her job role, learn to work in a team and develop her cooking skills. Sanabel’s confidence and personality really grew throughout her course and this was reflected in her cookery.
Sanabel has just recently completed the SVQ part of her Modern Apprenticeship along with Health & Safety and an Elementary Food Hygiene Certificate. The day she completed her SVQ with me was such a happy occasion. I asked her what it meant to her and she said “It means so much to me to be qualified in professional cookery and to be able to use this Scottish Qualification. It has been a very good experience and has given me a chance to find myself. Seeing people like and enjoy my home dishes was so great, I love showing others what I can do”.
I can honestly say that in my career I have never assessed a student where it meant so much to them to gain a qualification. This was another level of self-achievement for this young person and was clearly very emotional and deep rooted for her. To achieve her SVQ in Professional Cookery has meant the world to Sanabel and it was my pleasure to be part of that for her.
Sanabel was a finalist in the recent Ayrshire Apprentice of the Year awards 2018. She is very proud of what she has achieved and is looking to secure permanent employment in Ayrshire and to gain permanent leave to remain status when her case is reviewed next year.
Sanabel’s Al Baraziq Biscuits
Ingredients
For the biscuits:
- 150g icing sugar, sifted
- 130ml clarified butter (or soft butter)
- 250g flour, sifted
- 100ml warm water
- ½ tsp active dried yeast
- 200g crushed pistachios
- 400g toasted sesame seeds
For the syrup:
- 250ml water
- 200g white sugar
- 3 tbsp honey
Method
- In a pot, add the water, sugar and honey and bring it to a simmer. Stir a few times, remove from the heat and let it cool.
- Preheat the oven to 170C.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the sugar and butter together.
- Mix the warm water with the yeast and let it sit for a minute.
- Add the flour to the butter and sugar mix, then the water and yeast mix, and combine until you obtain smooth dough, which will be quite sticky.
- In a bowl, mix the sesame seeds with half the cooled syrup then place the seeds on a plate. Add more syrup if desired.
- Prepare another plate with the crushed pistachios.
- Using your fingers, dip the sticky dough in the pistachio plate first, then flip the biscuit and dip it in the sesame seeds. The dough will be a little tricky but manageable. The stickier it is the better the consistency of the biscuit later, but you may add a little more flour if needed.
- Place the biscuits on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, making sure they are golden brown. Let them cool on a tray and store in tin or jar in a dry place.