FIVE-STAR OPERATION<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As is the Swiss way, lunch is the main meal of the day, with students starting to pour in by year group at 12.25 pm for the first sitting, and a second around half an hour later. \u201cIt\u2019s communal and it\u2019s dynamic,\u201d says Mr Andy Croft, Aiglon\u2019s Director of Operations. \u201cThere\u2019s a real buzz, and I\u2019m sure that will only get better in the new Moghadam Campus Hub that opens in 2025. There are rules, though: no hats, no phones, no laptops, no shorts. Of course, it\u2019d be easier to prep sandwiches, but we think it\u2019s important in such a busy day to stop, sit down and eat properly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before they sit, students choose one of three stations, to be served either traditional, world, or vegetarian food from a menu they have seen on an app earlier that day. The staff know which students have allergies, and they keep an eye out to help students make healthy choices. \u201cThere\u2019s a pastoral function to mealtimes,\u201d says Mr Croft. \u201cFood and welfare are linked. The trick is to balance out the three menu options, so each is equally appealing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are, of course, unpredictable challenges, such as the sudden arrival of 50 unexpected guests, as happened recently. \u201cBut it\u2019s not a problem: we\u2019re running a five-star operation here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kitchen team gets menu inspiration from its diverse staff. \u201cSous-chef Mr Benji Rocha is into new Asian trends, and our kids love anything Asian. Chicken karaage, beef bulgogi, dim sum, and bao buns. Mr German Velandia Clavijo is South American and he makes arepa \u2013 a corn dough with different toppings. I\u2019m French, so I like French food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also have a p\u00e2tissier, who is amazing,\u201d says Ms Bel-Hadj. \u201cMr Lilian Menoret makes mille-feuille, chocolate \u00e9clairs, cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e, and crumble \u2013 all the favourites. But also ginger sorbet with coconut ice cream for Lunar New Year. And of course, he makes his own ice cream.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2015, SV Group has been responsible for providing Aiglon\u2019s meals, under the watchful eye of Mr Rodrigue Benoit. \u201cOur founder, Else Z\u00fcblin-Spiller, thought a healthy mind went together with a healthy body, and so she provided nutritious meals to soldiers in Swiss barracks,\u201d says Mr Benoit. \u201cSV was born from there, and it seemed very natural for us to work with Aiglon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe prioritise fresh local vegetables and meat. Ninety per cent of what we provide is grown in Switzerland \u2013 except the vast quantities of bananas! Fresh food actually produces more food waste, if you think about peelings or bones. So we serve a plate size that is optimum for nutrition, and then people can come back for a second plate if they\u2019re still hungry. We want to see clean plates! That\u2019s the ultimate satisfaction.\u201d Mr Benoit also brings in specialist training  \u2013 in Pakistani food, for example \u2013 and provides a list of seasonal ingredients each month, from which they build their menus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALL ABOUT THE FOOD<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Dinner time in the evening is a more laidback affair, with two choices of comfort food such as cottage pie or pizza, and students eating in house groups. \u201cDinner is much more relaxed,\u201d agrees Mr Croft. \u201cLe Cerf girls might come in at 6 pm, then 20 minutes later another house wanders in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDinner is more like a family time,\u201d says Kabir. \u201cYou eat with your houseparents and tutors, so you might catch up about how things are going, or talk to a tutor about something you have in common, like music. Because it\u2019s your house, it\u2019s mixed ages, so you can ask a Year 12 for help about something you don\u2019t want to talk to a teacher about. We call Alpina \u2018the Brotherhood\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there\u2019s breakfast, Kabir\u2019s favourite meal \u2013 or rather it would be, if he could find time to eat it! \u201cWe lay on as much variety as we can \u2013 scrambled eggs, bacon, beans, waffles, pancakes \u2013 but we also recognise that some students need a lie-in every now and again,\u201d says Ms Bel-Hadj. \u201cThe school also allows houses to miss meditation every two weeks to sit down for a proper cooked breakfast, and that always goes down well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Bel-Hadj and her team also cater for the school\u2019s special events. \u201cGraduation is my favourite,\u201d she says. \u201cWe do it all ourselves. We try to come up with a fun menu and plan it for weeks in advance. Everybody is dressed up and the whole place is decorated. It\u2019s a fantastic atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, though, it\u2019s all about the food, and the kitchen team are rightly proud of what they achieve. \u201cMy favourite thing,\u201d says Mr Croft, \u201cis getting an email that just says: \u2018Thank you. The salmon was amazing.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

---

\n\n\n\n

Originally published in the Aiglon Magazine, Issue 22.<\/a>
Words by Megan Welford
Photography by Joe McGorty
Edited for the web from the print edition.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With more than 65 nationalities around the table, there is an incredible range of tastes to cater for, and the unenviable task of finding food that excites everyone falls to a team headed by Ms Sonia Bel-Hadj, Aiglon\u2019s Restaurant Manager. \u201cIt can be hard to predict which will be popular,\u201d says Ms Bel-Hadj, who admits […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n