14th Mar 2011 - 00:00
Image
Abstract
The Craft Guild of Chefs has announced a series of initiatives for a number of food appreciation workshops across the country. The events are planned so that its members visit school kitchens and get parents and guardians cooking with their children.
"We want to promote the enjoyment and joy that cooking brings and we want to see families eating properly together again," said Craft Guild CEO Martin Bates. "Matt Owens from dessert creators Zuidam and Mark Rigby from Premier Foods are both backed by their businesses in putting this great initiative into practice. We'll have industry professional chefs not only putting their skills on display, but giving their knowledge to talk through each dish and offer the support that is needed to help build education and bond the family unit." The emphasis at the workshops, which will be rolled out at schools later this year, will be back to basics. Knowledge on ingredients, cooking equipment, nutrition and cost savings will be at the forefront of the family orientated classes. "As an industry we spend a great deal of time developing healthy food and menus for schools and support the education of children in the school," continued Bates. "However we recognise that there is very little support once the child leaves the school and in many cases that education stops when the child gets home." Despite an increase in cooking related shows in the mainstream media, many families lack the understanding of what constitutes a healthy, nutritious and cost effective meal. If the initial pilot schemes work well in schools then the Craft Guild will be looking to trial the workshops quarterly. "As the seasons change, so does the produce that we use. It would be great to show to families how easy it is to make great dishes all year round," said Bates. "It's in a planned format that allows for hands-on experience and can be adapted to fit into almost any timescale that suits the school or local businesses wishing to be a workshop host." The final blueprint on how the family cooking activity will come together will be available next month. The Craft Guild is hoping that sponsors will be in place to help with ingredients. It is also looking at its business partners to find solutions for offering the workshop experience to schools that don't have great catering facilities.