The sounds and smells drifting from our Dining Hall last Friday morning aroused our interest and tempted our tastebuds to investigate further and take a peek. The scene we were greeted with comprised of around 30 Upper Sixth boys, all of whom were hard at work cooking up a range of different dishes.
The tasty session, run by our school catering team, Chartwells, formed part of our Upper Sixth Form’s Citizenship Morning. The boys learned, amongst other things, how to cook up a number of simple and tasty dishes to help them survive their university years and unlock the basic skills to be able to cook many more.
Not only were the recipes selected simple and delicious, but they were also low cost – good news for the wallet and an absolute must for undergraduates today.
On the menu for the would-be cooks were chicken fajitas, bolognaise and chilli, all very versatile. The boys were also given a take-away recipe booklet which included staples such as bechamel sauce, macaroni cheese and a ‘mix and match’ tomato sauce, as well as ideas on how to make the most out of a humble tin of baked beans.
Upper Sixth Former, Tom Godber, explained, “The biggest thing I learned from the session was the importance of planning your meals so that when you go shopping you can be as efficient as possible. Also, it was good to get clarification on food hygiene measures.”
Tom went on to say, “It has made me more confident, as I now know that I have a few easy recipes that I can use. Cooking is important at university, especially with those you are sharing a kitchen with and, hopefully, we can work together to get the best out of cooking.”
Whether you are a seasoned chef or still learning the ropes, we think everyone would benefit from this handy recipe booklet ‘Beyond Beans’, featuring basic but very tasty recipes.
