Hertfordshire students' union​
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In 2020, I partnered with the University of Hertfordshire Students' Union to run a number of live sessions on Instagram for their students. The sessions ran fortnightly, covering a variety of exciting and student-friendly dishes.
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Have a read of the testimonial from Natasha Capal, Student Activities Manager at Hertfordshire Students' Union:
"In April 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we found ourselves short on ideas about how we could continue to engage with our students. Luckily for us, Ollie had all the right experience and made himself available to work with us. He's from the local area, was recently a student himself and has worked with the University of Sheffield, so he was very attuned to the needs of our target audience.
It wasn't long before we were up and running, with Ollie leading live cook-along sessions on our Instagram. This enabled us to bring something new into the homes of many of our students, who had only recently had their University experience completely transformed out of the blue. Having Ollie run these sessions has given us the opportunity to keep connected with our student population in a new, stimulating way.
"He has been flexible when working with us to make sure the recipes he teaches students are appealing, achievable and accommodating."
Ollie has shown considerable knowledge and passion for his area of expertise, he is a complete professional. He has been flexible when working with us to make sure the recipes he teaches students are appealing, achievable and accommodating. He is a natural leader and has been interactive in all of his sessions, answering any questions that fly in and responding to general comments throughout. His classes are always really thorough. He doesn't just take you through a single recipe, but throws in lots of helpful tips and tricks for best practice in the kitchen too. He always has a smile on his face throughout the sessions which makes him all the more approachable and entertaining.
Ollie has gone above and beyond to cater for our students during a difficult time for them. From the live cook-alongs they are able to take away a delicious dish, new skills and the feeling of still being involved in our community.
We look forward to working with him in the future and would strongly recommend him to anyone.
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Natasha Capal
Student Activities Manager,
University of Hertfordshire Students' Union