Cookery in schools to be compulsory - recipe challenge

Triker

Hi the article is here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7200949.stm

at the bottom the government invite us to suggest recipes that should be on the school curriculum so I wondered if you fancy a go.:D

I originally heard about this today on Radio 4's You and Yours however the website hasn't updated yet.

I think it's a stonking idea and will have a think and submit a recipe I think.

If you can't open the article here's the details of where to send your recipe to

The government is inviting people to send suggested recipes to: getcooking.consultation@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

Shall we share our submitted recipes? :T

floss2

Apple crumple, baked apples with very little fruit in them, broken victoria sponge, sunken shepherd's pie.......that's what I made at school

Fliss_Harper

My kids have to do compulsory Food Tech. They get a booklet and before each lesson, they choose one of four recipes to make in that lesson. School doesn't supply ingredients of course.

They have brought home upside down pineapple cake, pizza, various pie's, a curry, cookies and more. Our evening mealtimes were sorted for us.

Oh and that's at secondary school.

juliapenguin

I heard that too on You and Yours and I think it's a great idea. Although I did learn stuff at home from my Mum I also learnt loads from cookery lessons at school and really enjoyed them too. I still make various things that I learnt to do there - in fact my Mum still uses my old cookery exercise book full of recipes and won't let me have it because I didn't want it when I had the chance!

Olliebeak

I didn't do any cookery or domestic science subjects at school, but my sister did. She made some great stuff - but not very much of it seemed to make it's way home with her. I have memories of her 'remembering' the need for ingredients at around 7.00pm the evening before cookery lessons and the ensuing panic stations with mum trying to get them together for the morning. The little corner shop by the school did a roaring trade some mornings.

embb

They should be taught the basics first. Peeling spuds/veg, making yorkshire puddings, how to fry an egg that sort of stuff. Then they can move on to actually cooking something. My 18yr old daughter cannot peel a spud to save her life and believe me, I've tried to show her, and she has trouble opening a tin of beans :rolleyes: teach the basics would be my recommendation. Good step forward though :T

mary43

We did 'domestic science' after a fashion at school but only as far as a bit of needlework went and that consisted of sewing on a loop, making a very basic skirt and blouse.............no cookery !
I think all kids should be taught 'living skills' at school, including basic sewing so that the boys can mend their own trousers/shirts, sew on buttons etc. and I do hope the cookery included some 'main meals' on a budget for those kids who will end up at university or income support when money is very limited.

earthmother

I agree Mary - in fact Domestic Science should be brought back, not just cookery.

I was at secondary in the 80s - we did cooking for a term, sewing for a term, then spent the rest of each year in ceramics, art, woodwork etc as they were all lumped together. When it came to GCSE's, they didn't even offer cooking even though many of us would have loved to continue.

My mum on the other hand was at a girls secondary modern in the 60s - they did Domestic Science - they were taught to cook full meals, sew (everything from darning a sock to making an outfit), basic DIY like fuses and putting up shelves etc. There was a portacabin set up like a small flat and they would, in pairs, have one day a term where it was 'theirs' - they would have to do the cleaning, laundry, cooking (including meal planning, budgeting and shopping) and everything else that goes with the territory, and then entertain and feed a teacher at the end of it in order to get marked.

I always thought that sounded great fun - maybe it's what ought to happen now.


As to recipes - they need things that can cover a multitude of occassions - basic pastrys, sponges, batters and sauces, the different ways to cook and prepare fruit and veg (I still, at 32, have to ask mum sometimes if it's something I haven't had for a while/at all), a roast dinner, a pasta dish, a rice dish and a couple of good puddings.

impy78

We did cooking at school, and it was bloody useless.

We had to make things like mackeral pate and no sugar cheesecake. They all pretty much ended up a very expensive bit of compost.

linzibean

Our domestic science was split between cookery, textiles and woodworking for the first three years of high school. We would do them in 9 week blocks or something like that. We did a fair bit of USELESS cookery though, mymother always complained that we weren't ebing taugt how to cook proper food - bit of a cheek seeing as she never cooked a damn thing at home and I was cooking for myself and younger sis once I was 11 and over! So I must have learnt a thing or two

stefejb

should be a thread on its own - domestic science disasters. We spent the first year making an apron and cap. by the time we got to do real cooking we were almost delirious with the excitement of it all. lesson 1 - sandwiches. lesson 2 iced biscuits. lesson 3 spaghetti eggs (boil and shell some eggs - put in pyrex dish - tip tinned spaghetti over eggs - top with grated cheese - grill. I've blanked out the rest. At this time due to my mother being mostly tired and emotional I was cooking all the meals at home for me and 3 younger siblings so probably could have taught Mrs Snelling a thing or two. dd18 did a bit of food technology and spent a term designing the packaging for a ready meal. Hope these new lessons are an improvment on that

goodness Linzibean - snap!