Antoine commented:

‘Je remercie très sincèrement le British Council de m’avoir permis de réaliser ce séjour et ce projet en Angleterre dont je me souviendrai toute ma vie.  Je rentre en France grandi de cette aventure, avec une profonde volonté d’y retourner très rapidement !’

Age:18
School:Lycée Pierre D’Ailly, Compiegne
Project:La Diversité gastronomique à Derby et à Londres : reflet de la diversité culturelle mondiale

Antoine submitted an application to carry out a 4-week project in Derby and London investigating the wide variety of food available there.  He also aimed to look at the difference between a large city and the capital city in terms of the food provision on offer.

Prior to going to England, Antoine undertook a survey of some people in his home town to ascertain what they know of ‘British Food’.  He hoped to be able to use the data to compare to what English people think about their own ‘cuisine’.

When in England, Antoine spent time visiting different kinds of food markets – fish, farmers, European, Afro-Caribbean etc – to look at the diversity of food products available, as well as visiting supermarkets to see where they source a lot of their food from.  In addition he spent time helping out in different types of restaurants serving traditional fish & chips, tea rooms, pub grub, traditional roast dinners etc.  He undertook to interview chefs, diners and restaurant owners.

Further background:

Antoine Haeck applied to the British Council Northern Ireland in January 2007 for a Charles de Gaulle Bursary. He submitted an application form and detailed project proposal outlining their activities for a 4 week stay in the UK.  A work plan giving details of provisionally organised meetings, visits and contacts established had to be submitted at the time of application.  Having been short-listed, Antoine was invited to attend an interview at the British Council’s office in Paris.  He was interviewed by a bilingual panel and had to provide a rationale for their project proposal and explain the research methodology they planned to employ to carry out their project work and gather the required data. Having been successfully awarded a bursary to the value of £1000, both candidates were responsible for all preparatory work in relation to their visits – booking travel, organising accommodation, confirming meetings, managing a budget etc.

The deadline for 2008 applications is 31 January 2008.  For further information please refer to the following website:

http://www.britishcouncil.org/northernireland-education-studentopportunity-charles-de-gaulle.htm