The Source

My name is Victoria Buob-Aldorf and l am the Head Chef at Bartholomew School, a secondary school in Eynsham, West Oxfordshire with 1280 students on roll, aged 11-18. I started this role on 1st September 2020.

As a Lady Chef I have over 25 years’ experience, including working in restaurant and contract kitchens, running my own restaurant, living and working in France as well as teaching international students in their hospitality degree course at Brookes Restaurant, Oxford Brookes University. These experiences enable me to bring a wealth of knowledge to my current role.

My role as Head Chef is twofold: firstly, to bring an enthusiasm, energy and positivity to the kitchen, enabling the team to work with me to produce well-presented, nutritional food that looks interesting and tastes great; and secondly, to deliver an outstanding service daily for students and staff. Average of 60-100 mains, 300 snack meals. 40 sandwiches and salads. Freshly filled bagels and salads, fruit pots, daily salads. No fizzy drinks and chocolate. Healthy food policy. Cut up fruit – watermelon, grapes, etc. – salad pots. All sells!

The experiences of last year will never be forgotten; starting a new role here at Bartholomew School at the start of Covid, with all the challenges and uncertainty in the world. My dedication and desire to succeed in my new role, however, has driven me forward, enabling me to adapt to the challenges that have come with the on-going pandemic. My role here offers an opportunity for my creative flair to flow, allowing my menu planning to really showcase itself in the food l prepare and love.

As an example of this, within the first few weeks of my starting this role, I became involved in the Love British Food and took part in British Food Fortnight, celebrating British produce through the meals created here in school.  Cauliflower shawarma, French chicken provencale, boulangere potatoes, meditteranean stuffed courgettes, to traditional roasts and seasonal fresh veg to the ever popular Italian pasta lunch with homemade sauce, salads and frittatas.

Among the uncertainty and anxiety being experienced in the world at the time, this offered a really positive focus and will remain an on-going part of my responsibility to the students to keep them alert, interested in food and educated in the origin and seasonality of ingredients. I use my experience to balance menus using fresh vegetables and ingredients wherever possible, often grown locally, and have also been sourcing fresh British meat from farms in Barnstable, Devon.

Although l have only been at the school for a short time l already feel l have gained the respect of students and staff and am already planning, in better times, to turn my ideas into reality. I am driven to help young people and relish having such a huge sense of responsibility to deliver healthy, nutritional well-cooked food. I enjoy the connection this offers with students and value being part of the daily event of providing a meal in school that can offer normality and structure to their lives.

I am lucky to work for a school with a strong community spirit and, having had great backing from my manager to go ahead with participation in the Love British Food fortnight, will continue exploring ideas like this. Our Headteacher, Mr Craig Thomas, and many of the staff were very excited that the school were getting involved and I feel proud to be part of something positive.

l look forward to the day when l can teach small groups of children in the kitchen, so we can have some hands-on sessions cooking and learning together about Seasonal British Food. Students were invited to suggest meals during the Love British Food fortnight, so I know there is a keen interest!

As for the future, it is onwards and upwards! I am looking forward to happy times ahead, and in the meantime will be here to support and nurture the young people of this lovely school.