Summer term has begun! The sun is out and (finally!) coats are being used for goalposts rather than warmth. But that’s not the only new season change because we also have a huge host of new cooks in our midst!
Over the Easter holidays, over 800 children came along to Tesco stores all over the country and learned how to be tip-top in the kitchen on an Eat Happy Let’s Cook course. We went along to a Pop-up Kitchen in Beckton to see if we could learn some new skills, too.
After putting on an apron and writing our names on our snazzy chefs’ hats, we were teamed up on a table with Kasim, 7 and Amman, 9, with a recipe and all the ingredients we’d need to make paella. Thankfully, Kasim and Amman had been on the course all week and were able to help us learn how to chop ingredients properly and safely using a technique called ‘the claw’ and another called ‘the bridge’ – ensuring we didn’t chop off a finger.
Once we’d added all our chicken, vegetables, spices, rice and stock to the pan, Amman supervised the stirring while Kasim and some of the other children mixed drinks using fruit juices, fresh fruit and fizzy water.
As the paella continued to cook, the part we’d been dreading arrived: doing the dishes. But to our surprise, the children seemed keen to get their hands soapy and the dishes were done in a flash. Miraculous! We didn’t get so much as a finger wet.
Zaya Fullerton, the home economist running the lesson, shared her secret: “If you turn it into a competition they get really into it. They all want to be the best at doing the washing up!”
We then ate our paella, boxed up the leftovers for the children to take home for their families and posed for a photo while everyone received their certificates. As it was the last day, everyone took home a goodie bag containing an apron, recipes, stickers, notepads and pens. We imagine Kasim and Amman will have filled their notepads with new recipes already.
We had a fantastic afternoon and were blown away by how skilled all the children were by the end of the course. If you think your children might enjoy learning how to cook (and making new friends on the way!), sign up and keep an eye out for our summer pop-up courses.
If you’d like to get cooking together at home we have loads of recipes that have all been specially designed for children by the Children’s Food Trust. We’d love to see any dishes you make! Tweet us any pictures @TheEatHappyProject. Bon appetit!
