Are coming back to schools in the UK.......
From BBC.co.uk
Teenagers are to be given cookery lessons, as part of the government's drive to get healthier eating in England's schools.
The government's advisory panel has also announced its rules for school meals, in a bid to eliminate junk food.
These specifications, requiring fresh fruit, vegetables and oily fish, will be compulsory from next September.
But additional rules on the nutritional content in school meals are to be phased in over the next four years.
I still have my recipe book from school and refer to it regularly. It is full of recipes and articles cut out of magazines which tend to flutter out whenever I get it down from the shelf! I really must get a better system!
Anyway, I was wondering if any of you still use recipes from those days...did you take cookery at school and if so, was it useful to you? Did it make you want to cook or put you off entirely?
I learned to cook from my mother and grandmother, loved school cookery lessons both theory and practical and aced the O level. It gave me a good grounding in food and nutrition. I do think it is important for both sexes to be able to cook basic, wholesome fare...to shop wisely and to have store cupboard "staples" in to be able to put together a decent meal at any time.
The whole article is
here
Debs x :smile:
I know...this will probably get moved to the Food Forum but I really wanted it to be a general discussion!!!
I think this is an excellent idea. I went to an all boys school and there was no cookery lessons. Maybe we could have managed without woodwork and metalwork lesson. It's feels like ancient history to look back at a time when the curriculum aimed to create legions chippies and welders - aromatherpay, massage and cooking might have been more useful - perhaps they could arrange for us to practice with the local girls school ... smile
That's good although I think it should start in junior school, and even to some extent in the elementary. Good eating habits need to be set as early as possible.
I agree the news belongs here.
I liked my cookery lessons at school - I didn't know they had been dropped. I went to an all girls school and would have liked to have done woodwork, but that wasn't an option. The boys also did something mysterious called "Technical Drawing" while we girls did something equally mysterious called "Needlework". I'd have been better off doing woodwork than needlework although I can sew if I have to!
Couldn't agree more Debs. I had four years of 'Cookery Classes & Sewing Classes'.
While the boys had to take woodwork.
I got married at a very young age, and came to America a few months later. When meeting other young couples, at the time in Virginia, I was amazed at how many wives couldn't cook or sew.
The knowledge I gained during those four years was priceless. We moved to an area that was so expensive to live. My husband was a four striper in the Air Force, and our first purchases after we rented an apartment were three rooms of furniture for $500. and a nice new sewing machine. At that time, I sewed all my own clothes, materiel and patterns were cheap.
Cookery class has stuck with me, and often use recipes our teacher did. In the class, she would chose a team each week, and we'd have to stay after school and cook a special dinner and a team of teachers and guests would stay for the meal.
I've always said American schools need to do it, instead of pushing such things as cheerleading (sorry cheerleaders no offence meant). And I'm not an advocate of 'The little woman should be in the kitchen' either.
But the knowledge it gave me was invaluable. 8)
Coming back on this one. I think that all students should be given some background in cookery, sewing, woodwork and metalwork. I said the same in another thread but I think that all students should get an overview of automobiles and building construction. I think they should all get a grounding in money and credit management, and in later years, information on stocks and bonds. These things would take time from the academics, but I would bet that they would have higher interest and not lose any ground in those subjects.
To clarify, I think they should get the overview and then elect for specialties, so if a boy wants to cook or a girl wants to do woodwork, they can be accommodated.
I didn't realise they had stopped cookery classes either shock
I loved taking cookery classes as well. I remember making Victoria Sponges and the wonderful Swiss Roll, cheese scones to name a few. They were fun classes and really helpful as well. Glad to hear they are starting up again 8)
Both boys and girls took 'home economics' and woodwork in our comprehensive school when I was at school. Both the boys and the girls learnt basic cooking skills in our children's school in the UK but I didn't realise it wasn't in the higher school levels.
Both the boys and the girls take health, cooking, technical drawing and design classes in the school district here.
I remember way back making rock cakes, rice pudding and ginger snaps as part of my school cookery classes. Oh, and the Victoria sponge, yes.. add an extra egg to make it extra special! I too still use some of the recipes learnt back then.
I also learned some invaluable sewing skills - how to sew on a button, hemming a skirt or pants.. great grounding.
My school had the right idea, we ALL spent a quarter of the year on each of the following.. cooking, sewing, wookwork and metalwork.. I still make the upside down pineapple cake to this day ..
Celticana's " add an extra egg to make it extra special" reminds me of a few things I learnt
"ten minutes to make and ten minutes to bake"
"half fat to flour"
"3 eggs, 3 oz sugar, 3 oz flour"
Also where else would I have learned the difference between flaky and rough puff?
How else would I know when to rub in, fold, beat, whisk or stir? Or when to use a knife, metal spoon or wooden spoon?
It's a far cry from the back of a Betty Crocker box where it tells you how many times to stir!!!
I still have the rough time plan from my cookery O level exam where you had to devise a menu, write a "shopping list", work out how long you would need to prepare, cook and cool (where necessary) your dishes and also have sufficient time to wash up and clear away. You had to justify your choice of menu stating factors such as suitability (eg, elderly, vegetarian etc), cost, nutritional information, texture, colour, ease of preparation. I reckon I could still take the exam today without swotting up! smile
My first school cookery lesson was in September 1974. We had to get all the pots, pans and utensils out of the drawers and cupboards, identify each item and know what everything was used for. We had one table each and a "kitchenette" sort of affair. There was one cooker between two girls and two refrigerators in the whole room. We had to take turns washing up as there were only maybe two or three sinks! What was the name of that pink scouring paste?? Looked like Germoline but you wouldn't rub it on a boil! Thank goodness they started building a new cookery/woodwork etc block the following year! That was sheer luxury in comparison. We had a whole lot of fitted, fully-equipped kitchens....no sharing! My school is sadly no longer with us as the education authority merged us with another school in the town and demolished most of the buildings in February of this year. All that is left is the "Old House" which is listed and dates back to the 1600's. sad
Debs x smile
I did cooking class at school too. Although I knew as much as the teacher because my mum was a chef and ran the school kitchens at the high school.
I remember, making most of what has already been mentioned.
I always wanted to do the woodwork and tech drawing classes, which were not exclusive to boys but they got first choice and there were only so many spots and were always filled before the girls ever got close to the cut.
I think we should bring Iron Chef style teaching and exams to schools.. 'Now students, here are 23 cabbages.. you have 30 minutes to create a 5 course dinner'.
they just cut cooking and sewing at my school from 2 1/2 days a week to 1 day. I took one class in high school and one in middle school. Eventhough my drawstring sack (that my grandmom sewed for me) got an "F" due to another girl stealing the drawstring, I liked it and today wish I had more!
I'm now trying to relearn how to cook! shock