Extra-curricular activities are available in a wide variety for our boarders. Whether the boys are on the go-kart circuit, organising five-a-side football tournaments or diving over and off water inflatables, there is always something fun to do. For boarders in Pemerbley, a workshop on sushi making was on the schedule, and, as you can see from the photos, they produced some very tempting and colourful platters.
The masterclass was run by the talented sushi chefs from YaySushi, who decorated the common room with Japanese lanterns and tapestries to create a Japanese restaurant setting for the boys to work and dine.
Firstly, the boys learned about sushi traditions, the main ingredients, how to differentiate the different types of sushi and which tools are used. Next, they covered how to make and season the all-important component of sushi – the rice. They also learned how to make futomaki, uramaki roll, hosomaki, nigiri and prawn tempura.
The boys then arranged their sushi pieces on platters – the attention to detail and beautifully arrangements were quite a picture – and did not last very long! The boys sat down together to enjoy eating their culinary creations, all washed down with a green tea made with roasted rice. Some of our Upper Sixth Formers also had the opportunity to taste an original Japanese wine made from the fruit ume, and boys of all ages tried sea grapes – a first for everyone!
Hanna Bassa, Teacher of English and Assistant Housemaster at Pemberley, who organised the session explained, “We’ve found, over the course of this year, that sharing food and learning about food can be a bonding experience in the boarding house; the sushi making workshop allowed us to test out our skills, to learn about Japanese culture and to enjoy the fruits of our labour together as a House. We feel that cultural experiences like these enable students to appreciate the international community that we live in and we hope that this is one of a series of events that we will run as a House to encourage multicultural dialogue and exchange.”
We hope to welcome YaySushi back to school soon to deliver a Level 2 Sushi workshop, this time focussing on how to make tamagoyaki (Japanese omelettes).
