Portpatrick Primary received a special invitation to visit Lactalis today to learn about the process of cheese making in our local creamery. We believe we have had the singular honour of being the first ever school trip on their premises.
We were greeted by Hayley, from Training and Development, and Kenny, a Shift Manager. The whole school watched videos to learn about the history of Lactalis and the wide range of dairy products they make to distribute around the world. We learned about how the process of cheese making has changed over time from the earlier days of manual production to the automated systems that are in place today. There was an impressive array of brands produced on site; many of which the children were familiar with. We were surprised at the length of time it takes the different cheese varieties to mature.
The school split into two rotation groups. One activity went to the viewing gallery to observe the cheese packing production in operation. It was fascinating looking at the complex automated machinery move, slice and package the different cheeses. We could clearly see the food hygiene practices that were used in the factory to maintain cleanliness. Kenny was very patient, answering all our questions in detail.
The second activity was a cheese tasting session with Hayley. Just like the official cheese graders, we had to use the senses of sight, touch, taste and smell to assess cheeses. We enjoyed the tasting part in particular! We had to decide whether cheese A and cheese B were of a medium or extra mature strength. Using the knowledge we had gained in our earlier session, we were able to classify the samples correctly.
The children found the experience fascinating and now have a greater understanding of how technology is used in industry to make our everyday household food products.
#Successful Learners
