Students from Saint Paul’s have been excited to join the school’s new Cooking Club. Saint Paul’s has set up the club in partnership with FareShare Greater Manchester with a focus on reducing food waste and helping our environment.
The school sees cooking as a core life skill and their aim is to give everyone the opportunity to learn to cook and enjoy good food.
The Cooking Club aims to give Year 7, 8 and 9 and SEND students a solid grounding in cookery, allowing them to develop their knowledge, provide a set of life skills, discover a passion for food and find the fun and satisfaction in creating a great meal.
The sessions are free of charge and students will get to take home the food they have cooked which will feed a family of four.
Mrs Bowery, from Saint Paul’s, explained: “Being able to shop on a budget, prepare ingredients and cook healthy dishes helps people to make healthy food choices. Learning to cook is a core life skill which helps to develop confidence and social skills.”
Miss Ridgway, from Saint Pauls, added: “At the Cooking Club, the students have been learning all sorts of life skills (maths, ingredients and nutrient knowledge) as well as basic kitchen techniques, which will definitely serve them well in the future. We are pleased to see the students branching out to try new foods and we have been thrilled to watch the children approach even seemingly complex recipes or techniques with an amazing “can do” attitude.”
“Studies show that children who are welcomed into the kitchen and are allowed to help prepare and cook food are less fussy and eat more healthily. They’re also more likely to try new foods and learn about the provenance of food and about waste and how to reduce it,” said Mrs Sumner, from Saint Paul’s.