A Taste of Home
A couple of months ago you may recall I wrote about Year 5 pupil Kike’s idea that pupils could suggest dishes made at home, for our lunch menu. From the entries last term we were able to roll that out in March, and below is a little summary of the culinary delights that resulted.
Mahaan in Year 2, suggested a delicious red lentil, butternut squash, and coconut dhal that his mum makes at home. The flavours sounded too good to miss and so our Catering Manager, Mrs Mares, teamed up with Mahaan’s mum to learn the secrets behind the recipe. Our Chefs, Jay Pamben and Massimo Lucchini, set to work recreating the dish and aiming as best they could for authenticity. The pressure was on for our first VIP visit when Mahaan’s mum joined us for lunch. Nervously, Chef Pamben and Chef Lucchini approached our table and asked the all important question “How is it? Does it taste as you make it at home?”.
Thankfully it was a rave review and Mahaan’s mum was full of compliments to our chef team, and the dish was delicious.
Next up was our architect of the idea, Kike, whose mum’s jollof rice was the original inspiration for the idea. To quote Kike’s mum on her visit to School to join us in trying her dish, “It’s been lovely to see the school embrace dishes from home and introduce the children to new flavours. I’ve really enjoyed being able to experience it as well – it’s such a thoughtful and inclusive initiative.” The tasting of the jollof rice sparked great interest amongst other pupils who began to discuss how different rice dishes are made in their homes or by grandparents, aunts and uncles. It is clear there may be more home variations coming.
Our third parent lunch was with Seb in Year 3, and his mum, where we tried Seb’s paprika chicken. I am pleased to report that Mrs Mares and her team came very close to the flavours from home, working with Seb and his family to stay as true as they could. And key to that process was understanding that Seb himself is a keen chef at home and is developing a keen sense of flavour matching.
Our fourth and final parent lunch for the Lent Term was a delicious vegetable risotto, courtesy of the parents of Izzy in Year 4. It was a real hit with pupils and staff. Our chefs can be pleased that each time working with the parents has led to an excellent collaboration. The dish was sensitively seasoned and certainly healthy.
We have had great fun working with the families and seeing the buzz it has created amongst the children. Our partnership with parents and families really brings our community together and we feel privileged to be a part of their lives.
Next week, I look forward to telling you all about our Year 6 Public Speaking Competition – needless to say, the range of topics was impressive.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs Goodfellow
