Our local primary school has just been refurbished; not one of those patch up jobs – the real thing. The children were transferred to another school for a whole academic year. I’d promised to drop in with a copy of Kids’ Kitchen for the school library, but I confess I was as keen to inspect the new premises as I was to deliver the book.
There had been promise of particular attention to detail, but schools today have so many functions to fulfill. Of course being ‘environmentally friendly’ can create an opportunity to instil good habits into receptive young minds, but, in my experience, there is often a problem disposing of all of that wonderful recyclable waste that the children have been encouraged to accumulate rather than throw away. Composting isn’t a problem through an icy Scottish winter, but it attracts flies in summer, unless the local council works with the school to control the build up of waste.
On my tour there were plenty of pictures on display alluding to eco-school friendliness, and bright airy classrooms. However, one teacher raised her eyes to the ceiling as she spoke of the multitude of minor faults, but that was fine; the workmen would come back and fix them as long as they were spotted within a year. There were plenty of smiling faces, even from the wee boy sitting with his head over a bucket, as he struggled with his sore tummy.
Next stop, the dining hall, which doubles up as a gym. I asked if they cooked on the premises, noting that the kitchen was spanking new and sited at the opposite end of the building to its predecessor. The Head Teacher looked defensive and muttered something about the ‘warming equipment’ being a vast improvement on the previous kitchen.
“So the lunches are still being bussed in?” I asked incredulously.
Sadly, it seems there was just no room for a good old-fashioned kitchen. 54 children leave a school for a year at huge inconvenience, and return to brightly coloured walls and stacks of new chairs and desks, but the food fed to them is still shipped around the countryside in heated containers for several hours before reaching plate or mouth. The Scottish government purports to promote healthy living to children. Policy and curriculum planning encourages children to be aware of environmental issues and social responsibility, but surely they’re being given a mixed message when they are given food which is far from fresh.
Attention to detail must apply to the infrastructure and delivery of children’s education. Surely we need each school to be equipped with a kitchen, where real food can be cooked on the premises. In an ideal world, funding should be sufficient to provide every child with a free school lunch. Only then can the policy makers use lunch as a route to a healthier diet for our children. Paying lip service is one thing, but it’s what passes the lips that will make the real difference.
With subtle kitchen design, it should be possible for a school kitchen to be used by children for hands-on cookery sessions in the afternoons. This might give children the chance to develop adventurous taste buds.
I’m stirring up mincemeat in school workshop sessions in the run up to Christmas. There are plenty of cooking skills involved in its preparation and hopefully, the children will use the mincemeat in pies at home. We use citrus fruits, but you could add something a little stronger if you want to.
Mincemeat
What to find:
Lemon
Lime
Juice 2-3 oranges (150ml)
100g dried apricots
50g cherries
600g mixed dried fruit
100g dried cranberries
350g light Muscovado sugar
200g shredded suet
Two eating apples
Teaspoon cinnamon
Teaspoon nutmeg
Kitchen Stuff:
Scales
Juicer
Grater / zester
Measuring jug
Large mixing bowl
Chopping board
Rounded edged knife / small vegetable knife
Wooden spoon
Dessertspoon
Clean jam jars + lids
What to do:
WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE YOU START
1. Wash the lemon, lime and one of the oranges. Grate the rind (zest) from the citrus fruits but be careful not to grate the pith (white) of the fruits. Put the grated rinds in the mixing bowl. Cut the citrus fruits in half, (not through the stalk). Twist the lemon and lime halves around a citrus squeezer to get the juice out. Squeeze 150ml of juice from the oranges. Put the citrus juices in a measuring jug.
2. Weigh the apricots and cherries, chop them into small pieces and put the chopped fruit into the mixing bowl.
3. Weigh the dried fruit, cranberries, sugar and suet and add them to the bowl.
4. Wash the apples and remove the core, use a cutlery knife to chop the apple into small pieces.
5. Add the chopped apple, fruit juices and spices to the mixing bowl. Place a damp cloth under the mixing bowl (to stop it from moving) and gently stir the ingredients together. Little stirs, keep everything in the bowl.
6. Use a dessertspoon to carefully pot your mincemeat into clean jam jars. Cover the jars with a lid and store in a refrigerator until use.
• Tips
Use equal amounts of dried fruits e.g. 200g raisins, 200g sultanas, 200g currants. Use a whole nutmeg and use a grater, to grate a teaspoon of nutmeg.
Find out what mace is.
• Always have a grown-up in the kitchen when you cook.
• ©stirrinstuff.org
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