Prep pupils compete in live cookery show

Pupils at Plymouth College Preparatory School have whipped up a storm in a MasterChef-style cook-off.

Hosted by school caterers, Chartwells, ‘On Your Marks’ saw the red team (teacher Mrs Freeman and pupils Beth Scott and Devon Chandler) and the green team (teacher Mr Brook-Houghton and pupils Megan Bishop and Joshua Oliver) given 15-minutes to prepare a tasty and nutritional meal. The red team were tasked with preparing coconut chicken with spiced cous cous, while the green team were asked to rustle up BBQ vegetables and mixed bean wrap with savoury rice.

The event was part of Chartwells’ Fun into Food programme.  Chef James started the session talking to the gathered audience of Years 3 to 6 about healthy eating.  He told them how breakfast gets them ready for the day, the benefits of different food groups and how to measure a fruit and vegetable portion of the all-important five-a-day.  James talked about the two dishes that were going to be cooked and explained why they were healthy balanced meals.

During the cook-off, pupils from the audience were invited to have a closer look at the dishes being prepared.  They were asked to observe how well the teams were working together and take in the aroma of the cooking food.  At the sound of the buzzer the teams dished up their meals ready for judging.  They were beautifully presented and there was no shortage of volunteers to taste the food!  The audience was asked to hold up a red or a green card and after three recounts, the red team won through.

“What a great way for the children to learn about food and nutrition,” said Plymouth College Preparatory School Headmaster, Chris Gatherer.  “Not only did James show us how quick and easy it is to prepare a healthy meal, but he also demonstrated different cooking techniques such as steaming and stir-frying as well as useful tips on safety in the kitchen and food handling.

“I was very impressed with how well the two teams worked together under pressure and the food they produced was restaurant quality.  Many thanks to Chartwells for running such a fantastic event.”