Solihull pupils learn about cooking

Date: 9/11/2011

Time is passing so quickly and we are already half way through.  Today we are calling in to Cheswick Green School for a day of learning about tasting food and preparing a healthy salad.  LACA is delighted to be working with the Academy of Culinary Arts and their Chef's Adopt-a-School Scheme.

This is a fantastic scheme where a celebrity chef goes into a school and teaches young people how to taste food using eyes, nose and the other senses.  Then they teach the pupils how to prepare a meal while paying particular attention to using knives safely.  The pupils learnt about the bridge and claw method of using knives and were then supervised as they put the lesson into a practical situation.

Lynda Mitchell, National Chair of LACA, said, "I think it is vital that everyone learns more about food during their school days and this is why today is so important.  The greater love of food we can create now the more likely children will adopt a healthy lifestyle in years to come.  Another benefit of this scheme is that it encourages the pupils to share their experience with parents."

Idris Caldora, the celebrity chef from the Academy of Culinary Arts in the Midlands area, added, "I have visited dozens of schools recently and it is fascinating to see the change of attitudes in young people during the sessions.  Today the morning is split into two parts with the second session being a practical one to create a salad.  This will be a Brazillian salad and it is then going to be served to all the pupils in the school at lunch time."

On the website at www.iloveschoolmeals.co.uk you can see another session from the Academy featuring James Holden carrying out a similar event at Cheadle Hulme High School.  Why not have a look and if you can't use the materials during NSMW you can save them for another day?  Here the students learn how to cook a vegetable Biryani.

If you want more information about the Chef's Adopt-a-school scheme then please visit www.academyofculinaryarts.org.uk.

So after two sessions about getting creative with food and a delicious healthy lunch provided by Solihull Catering Services the NSMW Tour is off to Easingwold School in North Yorkshire.  We will meet Bob Davies who has just been named Secondary School Caterer of the Year by EDUcatering magazine.