Children’s One Day Course at ENTCS

Ailidh Fraser-Medcalf (11) from Edinburgh found a voucher for the Children’s One Day Cookery Course in her Christmas stocking – all the way from relatives in Australia!  Ailidh loves food and trying different styles but so far has left the cooking to Mum and Dad.  That could be about to change – here’s what Ailidh had to say.

“I expected it to be a lot of people who cook all the time, which it was except that all I’ve ever done was pancakes with Dad. I thought we would just cook a few small things and then take them home, but it was a lot better than that. We cooked a lot of different things on the day – BBQ chicken, cheesy muffins, coleslaw and strawberry cheesecakes – but they gave us a lot of breaks and it was fun. I thought they would just tell you what to do, but they showed us and took us through each process step-by-step.

“The chicken was definitely the most delicious, but the most fun to make was the coleslaw, as I got to use the magimix to chop all the ingredients. I didn’t know that you had to put the lid on though, so my carrot went flying out on the first try!

“On my course there were nine of us, including three boys, so we were three groups of three people. My team-mates were American and I guess we ranged in age from 9 to about 12. I was the second oldest there and although I was the smallest, luckily I could reach all the equipment (which I had been worried about).

“I got to use things like really sharp knives – and we learned how to use them safely without cutting ourselves – the magimix, graters, etc,  as well as all the mixing bowls and utensils. Our instructors were in charge of the ovens though.
“The best bit was getting to taste what we had made – everyone was grabbing at the chicken but I managed to hoard quite a few pieces.

“Our instructor was really nice and just a little bit strict and her assistant was really friendly and encouraging.  I think I will be a lot more confident about cooking for myself from now on. And maybe treat Dad to more than just pancakes!”