Catering Students Star on ‘The One Show’

Two West London College hospitality and catering students starred in the BBC’s ‘The One Show’ last week, 22 October 2019. ‘The One Show’ feature ‘The Science of Hanger’ explained feeling ‘hangry’ is the combination of being bad-tempered or angry because you haven’t eaten for a few hours and are hungry. BBC presenter Matt Alwright also spoke to a nutritionist and neuroscientist to find out more about the effects on our bodies and brains of hunger leading to ‘hanger’.

Culinary Skills Level 1 student, Teo said of being hangry: “I just get annoyed at everything. I don’t want to talk to anybody.”

Food and Beverage Level 2 student Nweti explained: “I’m not a morning person so being hangry, and not being a morning person, doesn’t work out.”

Expert nutritionist, Sophie Mellin, advised eating slow-releasing carbohydrates and vegetables to maintain even blood sugar levels and avoid developing hanger. Neuroscientist Dr. Tony Goldstone showed areas of our brain that light up when we are hungry and how the neural pathways linked to hunger and anger in our brains are close. This strong reaction would have been important thousands of years ago, he explained, when we needed to hunt and work very hard to obtain food, unlike today when for most of us it is much easier.

At the end of the short film, Catering and Hospitality teacher Sylvain Auger, served BBC presenter Matt Allwright in WLC’s AA-starred TASTE Restaurant.

Ending on a lighthearted note, rather than the steak we expect to see Matt tucking into (this is what he requested at the start of the show!), he is offered an egg mayo baguette instead. “I don’t even like egg,” Matt whines to Sylvain in mock despondency.