The pass is the counter where the chef checks the plates before they go to the dining room.
Welcome to our hotel school
Welcome to our hotel school! Here you are learning to become a professional cook. English is part of the job: customers, suppliers and chefs come from all over the world.
The official programme sets the level for the bac pro: B1+ in language A and A2+ in language B. That means you can follow a conversation, describe a dish, explain a recipe and answer a customer.
Today you are in the training kitchen. You are the chef. Cook, explain and present your recipe to the guests. Ready? Let's start!
En français
Bienvenue au lycée hôtelier
Dans votre lycée hôtelier, vous apprenez un métier de la restauration. L'anglais en fait partie : clients, fournisseurs et chefs viennent du monde entier.
Le niveau attendu. Le programme de langues vivantes de la voie professionnelle (arrêté du 3 avril 2019, Bulletin officiel spécial n° 5) fixe pour le bac pro le niveau B1+ en langue vivante A (niveau visé B2) et A2+ en langue vivante B (niveau visé B1).
Au quotidien. Comprendre une conversation, présenter un plat, expliquer une recette, répondre à un client.
Aujourd'hui, vous êtes en cuisine pédagogique : vous cuisinez et présentez vos recettes aux clients du restaurant d'application. Cette séquence peut aussi nourrir votre réalisation d'un projet.
The kitchen
It is 10 a.m. in the training kitchen of the hotel school. Service starts at noon, and the restaurant is fully booked: forty-two guests, including a table of eight business people from Germany and a couple celebrating their anniversary. Chef Morgan has divided the brigade into sections: starters, fish, meat and pastry. Each cook knows exactly what to do.
Before cooking, everybody prepares the mise en place. Vegetables are peeled and chopped, sauces are reduced, and fresh fish is checked as soon as it arrives from the supplier. "If your mise en place is not ready, your service will be a disaster," the chef often says. The kitchen is noisy and hot, but nobody shouts: the cooks answer "Yes, Chef!" and work fast and cleanly.
At 12.15, the first orders arrive. One guest is allergic to nuts, another one is vegetarian, and a third wants to know where the lamb comes from. The chef checks every plate at the pass before it goes to the dining room. A plate that is not perfect goes back. Today you are on the meat section, and at the end of the service a guest has asked to meet the cook who prepared the roast lamb. You will have to explain the recipe in English.
Students cook in a professional training kitchen (Des élèves cuisinent dans une cuisine pédagogique) Photo: Noriko Kudo, U.S. Army Garrison Japan, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Look at the photo. What can you see? Where are the people? What are they doing?
Sentence starters: In the photo, I can see… / The students are wearing… / They are in a… They are…ing… / I think they are preparing…
A student cuts vegetables on a chopping board (Une élève taille des légumes sur une planche à découper) Photo: Noriko Kudo, U.S. Army Garrison Japan, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Kitchen utensils
a knife
un couteau
a chopping board
une planche à découper
a saucepan
une casserole
a frying pan
une poêle
a whisk
un fouet
a ladle
une louche
a peeler
un économe
a colander
une passoire
a grater
une râpe
a spatula
une spatule
tongs
des pinces
a mixing bowl
un saladier
scales
une balance
Fresh produce delivered to the kitchen (Des produits frais pour la cuisine) Photo: Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Fresh vegetables
a carrot
une carotte
a leek
un poireau
an onion
un oignon
garlic
l'ail
a courgette
une courgette
an aubergine
une aubergine
a mushroom
un champignon
a pepper
un poivron
a cabbage
un chou
a potato
une pomme de terre
Meat
beef
le bœuf
lamb
l'agneau
pork
le porc
veal
le veau
chicken
le poulet
duck
le canard
a steak
un steak
a sausage
une saucisse
Condiments and herbs
salt
le sel
black pepper
le poivre noir
mustard
la moutarde
vinegar
le vinaigre
olive oil
l'huile d'olive
mint sauce
la sauce à la menthe
horseradish
le raifort
gravy
le jus de viande
parsley
le persil
thyme
le thym
Fish
salmon
le saumon
cod
le cabillaud
haddock
l'églefin
sea bass
le bar
trout
la truite
mackerel
le maquereau
tuna
le thon
Shellfish
prawns
les crevettes
a crab
un crabe
a lobster
un homard
mussels
les moules
oysters
les huîtres
scallops
les coquilles Saint-Jacques
langoustines
les langoustines
Useful verbs
to chop
hacher
to peel
éplucher
to boil
faire bouillir
to fry
faire frire
to roast
rôtir
to bake
cuire au four
Comprehension
Read the text in “Reading”. Answer in full sentences, then tap a question to check your answer.
A. Find the information
What time does the service start?
It starts at noon.
How many guests are expected?
Forty-two guests: the restaurant is fully booked.
Name the four sections of the brigade.
Starters, fish, meat and pastry.
What happens at the pass?
The chef checks every plate before it goes to the dining room.
Which three special requests do the guests make?
One guest is allergic to nuts, one is vegetarian, and one wants to know where the lamb comes from.
B. True or false? Justify with a quotation.
The cooks shout a lot during service.
False: “nobody shouts: the cooks answer ‘Yes, Chef!’”
The fish is checked when it is delivered.
True: “fresh fish is checked as soon as it arrives from the supplier.”
All the plates go to the dining room.
False: “A plate that is not perfect goes back.”
C. Read between the lines
Why does the chef say the mise en place is so important?
Because without it the cooks cannot work fast during service; the service would be a disaster.
What does “Yes, Chef!” show about the kitchen?
It shows respect, discipline and clear communication in the brigade.
Why is it important to know that a guest is allergic to nuts?
Because an allergy can be dangerous: the cooks must avoid nuts and any contact with them.
How do you think the cook feels when a guest asks to meet them? Why?
Proud but a little nervous, because the guest liked the dish and the cook must speak English.
Grammar: asking questions
In a restaurant, guests ask questions and staff must ask questions politely too. Study the rules, then do the tasks.
1. Question forms
Yes/No
Is it spicy? / Does it contain nuts? / Can I have the recipe?
Wh- questions
What is in the sauce? / Where does the lamb come from? / How long does it take?
Polite requests
Could you tell me…? / Would you like…? / May I take your order?
Indirect questions
Could you tell me where the lamb comes from? (no “does”, normal word order)
2. Find the question. Tap to check.
Answer: “The sauce is made with red wine and thyme.”
What is the sauce made with?
Answer: “It takes about two hours to cook.”
How long does it take to cook?
Answer: “The lamb comes from a farm in Wales.”
Where does the lamb come from?
Answer: “No, there are no nuts in this dessert.”
Are there any nuts in this dessert? / Does this dessert contain nuts?
3. Make it polite: write an indirect question.
Where does the fish come from? → Could you tell me…
Could you tell me where the fish comes from?
What is in the dressing? → Do you know…
Do you know what is in the dressing?
Is the soup vegetarian? → Could you tell me…
Could you tell me if the soup is vegetarian?
How did you cook the lamb? → I would like to know…
I would like to know how you cooked the lamb.
4. Correct the mistake.
Where comes the lamb from?
Where does the lamb come from?
Could you tell me where is the kitchen?
Could you tell me where the kitchen is?
Measurements
Useful conversions: 1 oz = 28 g | 1 lb = 454 g | 1 pint = 0.57 l | 1 tablespoon = 15 ml | 350 °F = 180 °C
The recipe needs 1 lb of potatoes. How many grams?
About 454 g.
You need 8 oz of flour. How many grams?
About 227 g.
A recipe uses 1 pint of milk. How many litres?
About 0.57 litres.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. How many degrees Celsius?
About 180 degrees Celsius.
You add 2 tablespoons of oil. How many millilitres?
30 ml.
Comparing dishes
Comparatives: cheaper than, spicier than, more expensive than, better than. Superlatives: the cheapest, the spiciest, the most popular, the best. Complete, then tap to check.
Beef is ___ (expensive) than chicken.
more expensive
The curry is ___ (spicy) than the soup.
spicier
Fish and chips is ___ (popular) dish on the menu.
the most popular
Fresh herbs are ___ (good) than dried herbs.
better
This is ___ (hot) station in the kitchen.
the hottest
Roasting takes ___ (long) than frying.
longer
Your opinion
Compare two dishes from the menu: price, cooking time, taste.
Sentence starters: The… is cheaper than… / It takes longer to cook because… / In my opinion, the best dish is… because…
Your turn
Mise en place: everything ready before service (Tout est prêt avant le service) Photo: Charles Haynes, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1. Write (80–120 words)
A guest has asked for your recipe of the day. Write an email to the guest: present the dish, list the main ingredients, explain the recipe in at least five steps and give one piece of advice.
Sentence starters: Dear…, thank you for your kind words about… / The main ingredients are… / First,… Then,… Next,… After that,… Finally,… / My advice: do not forget to… / Best wishes,…
2. Role-play in pairs
Student A is the guest, Student B is the cook. The guest asks at least five questions (one indirect question, one about allergies, one comparing two dishes). The cook answers politely and explains the recipe.
Sentence starters: Could you tell me what is in…? / Is it spicier than…? / Of course. It is made with… / I am afraid it contains…, but I can suggest… / I'm glad you enjoyed it!
3. Create a menu
Write a menu for the school restaurant: one starter, one main course, one dessert, with prices in pounds and one sentence to describe each dish.
Sentence starters: To start, we suggest… / For the main course, we serve… with… / For dessert, try our…, the most popular… / It costs… pounds.
