Harper Adams Hospitality Scholarship Award: Amy Morgan

Amy Morgan, 24, from Bangor-On-Dee, Wrexham is a second year BSc Food Technology with Nutrition student and recipient of Harper Adams Hospitality Scholarship Award.

“Growing up among a large family of food business owners within events catering, farm shops and farming, I was inspired to experience the industry myself.

“My journey started as a kitchen assistant/barista for a Food-to-go Company. My passion and enthusiasm was rewarded with a promotion to Food Development Manager within the company. My role involved the management and production of fresh, savory and sweet food products for 12 Railway station kiosk’s around the UK.

“This hard work and determination enabled me to fund a Chalet Cooks Course at the Award Winning’ Orchards School of Cookery’. Learning the art and culinary skills of becoming a great Chalet Cook and Host, I was able to use the cookery knowledge I had gained during my Ski Season in Verbier, Switzerland. In between long but rewarding hours of cooking and cleaning for my guests, I was able to take on the challenge to learn to ski, making progress from a complete beginner to an intermediate skier, and making lifelong friends along the way.

“As my passion for food grew even stronger during my experiences, I took the opportunity to push myself further, to learn the theory behind the food industry and broaden my career prospectus in such a diverse sector. This led to my current degree in Food Technology with Nutrition.

“With my enthusiasm to help others in the promotion and production of healthy, easy, safe and affordable lifestyles, my chosen degree has allowed me to increase my knowledge in global health issues, customer demand and public health nutrition.

“After experiencing recent crucial family health issues and overseeing nutritional care in a local community hospital, I was inspired to become part of an industry where I can provide beneficial and sustainable food products to tackle such problems.

Amy explained why she applied for the scholarship and how it will impact her future.

“I was delighted to have the opportunity to apply for the Hospitality Scholarship Award, as a Food student at Harper Adams University. I applied for the scholarship having hoped to fund professional development courses such as Food Safety and a membership with the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST)”

“The generous funds will allow me to further develop my skills and knowledge within the food industry in order to help me pursue a successful career. Being a part of the IFST will allow me to network and engage with food professionals, attend LaunchPad and conference events, and keep up to date with the latest Food Science news. I will be able gain support and benefits from the membership throughout every stage of my career. Professional development courses such as Food Safety will also greatly benefit my position in the industry, ensuring the responsibility for safeguarding the health of consumers, learning how to identify and control food safety hazards in the workplace.

“The funding will further encourage me to continue to work hard with my enthusiasm and driven nature, achieving the best grades I can. Winning the award has allowed me to see that hard work does pay off.

“I can't thank the staff enough at Harper Adams catering department. This award means a lot to me, to continue to demonstrate my passion, hard work and many hours in the library, the funding makes it all worthwhile.

Amy is very active and has many interests away from her studies.

“In between my studies I enjoy exploring the hills of Shropshire, cooking and baking, food photography, socialising with friends, visiting different shows and food festivals around the country. Over the summer months, I enjoy exploring new roles within the food sector; this year I took the opportunity to work as a Food Production Assistant over the busy period in an Ice Cream factory.”

“I have overcome so many challenges and continue to build my confidence each day, by allowing myself to gain an insight into new experiences. I am proud to have become the confident, hard working and determined individual I am today.

“I look forward to progressing my own abilities in my placement year, working for well known soup brand ‘New Covent Garden Soups ‘. The exciting new role as a Junior Product Developer will involve new recipe designs, research into market trends, product costing, benchmarking, and much more.”