Young Chefs Cook Up a Treat for Teachers

YOUNG masterchefs treated their teachers to a full course meal when they prepared lunch for them at Two Moors Primary School.

The meal served to staff on on July 7, included garlic mushrooms, soup, casulay, and camerlised bananas in brioche.

Head chef Iain Thompson supervised five Two Moors pupils, who'd entered a cooking competition at the market centre three months ago. Iain said: "The kids will have more appreciation of food through touching it, and cooking it. Cooking is a skill the children can take home to parents and show.

"All of these children can cook as well as adults, but they can't concentrate so well and that's all the difference really is. They also need to develop their concept of danger in the kitchen, so my role her is just to supervise them."

The scheme to encourage kids to cook, is currently run at Two Moors, and Bolham, but it is hoped that all the schools in Tiverton will get involved.

Ethan Jones. 11, was cooking some garlic mushrooms, he said: "The chef changed my recipe around a bit by adding some peppers, but I had decided my own recipe to start with. I always cook with my mum and I'd like to  become a chef when I'm older."

Fellow young chef, Vicky Thomas, 10, added: "It's been fun. We've had a little bit of guidance, but  been left to ourselves to get lunch prepared."

The staffroom was full of clean plates after lunch, and all staff members were complimentary about their young cooks. Headteacher Roy Kerrigan said: "We teach children in year five about basic hygiene aspects using simple good cooking with meat and veg rather than packaged stuff.

"The food they've served up today is fantastic, and a real treat for us."

His views were echoed by year six teacher Pam Jaworski: "It looked very pretty, it was well presented in the dish, and it was very tasty."