Students at Liepāja State Technical College are learning about wild meadow produce and how to use it in cooking

On 28 October, the Latvian Nature Fund, in collaboration with the association “Young Chefs” Movement”, held a masterclass for third-year trainee chefs and pastry chefs at Liepāja State Technical College, to promote the young professionals’ understanding of products sourced from Latvia’s natural meadows.

In the introductory part of the masterclass, the students learnt from the Latvian Nature Fund what natural meadows are, how they are managed, and why their conservation is vital for Latvia’s biodiversity. Meanwhile, representatives from the “Young Chefs” Movement’ shared their experience of using local produce and adopting a sustainable approach to cooking.

During the practical part of the event, held in the college’s teaching laboratory, the students prepared a meal using ingredients from natural meadows. Under the guidance of experienced chefs – Roberts Ozoliņš from the soon-to-open bakery “ROBread” and Kristaps Lieldaudzietis from the restaurant “Goldingen Room” – three delicious dishes were created – ravioli with goat’s cheese, a beef cutlet and, for dessert, crème de caramel made from goat’s milk.

The dish was prepared using produce sourced from farms that manage natural meadows: beef from SIA “Rukši” and goat’s cheese and milk from Dainis Erbs“ farm ”Dāru kazu siers”.

Masterclasses for aspiring chefs are organised As part of the EU LIFE-IP LatViaNature project, with the aim of supporting entrepreneurship in the sustainable management of natural grasslands.