CHIPS Cookery Club Cookathon

The CHIPS Cookery Club recently took part in the Childrens Food Trust’s Big Cookathon.
CHIPS cookery club for children with special needs runs fortnightly in term time at a local special school in their food technology room. The adults supported the children (mainly on a one to one basis) who all have varying degrees of special needs. The group leader demonstrated the method first so the children could see what they needed to do. They peeled the potatoes first and got them cooking whilst they prepared the meat. They chopped the onions, peeled and diced the carrots and sautéed with the mince beef. Then they added the rest of the ingredients and simmered gently. One of the group is vegetarian and she made a cannellini bean vegetable pie. The group leader made a vegetarian pie using green lentils. The children mashed the potatoes and added crème fraiche which made it a light and creamy texture.
All the staff and children tasted both the cottage pie and the vegetarian pies whilst having a break. They all get involved in washing up and putting way the utensils. They cleared up while the pies were baking and took them home to eat with their families. One family reported that their son doesn’t usually eat mince because of the texture but he ate 2 cottage pies as he had made them!