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Food - a fact of life

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Free resources for teaching young people aged 3-16 years about where food comes from, cooking and healthy eating.

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Free resources for teaching young people aged 3-16 years about where food comes from, cooking and healthy eating.
The bread stories- getting ready to cook
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The bread stories- getting ready to cook

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In this story the Food investigators learn about breads from different countries and make their own different shaped bread rolls. Includes worksheet for making a poster to explain what to do when preparing to cook.
Season Cards
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Season Cards

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A set of A4 cards showing what foods grow in each season. Follow the link for lesson plans and resources.
License to Cook - Session 7: Feel the rub
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License to Cook - Session 7: Feel the rub

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This session revisits the rubbing in technique, to consolidate learning, and extends to forming and shaping the rubbed-in dough. This additional dimension is a progression from Session 6, as students will need to carefully control the amount of liquid added to the mixture, to prevent it from becoming too dry or sticky, and shape the dough in a uniform manner. As with other sessions, it provides you with the opportunity to assess students’ practical capability. You could use the practical observation sheet to help.
License to Cook - Session 15: Stir-fry crazy!
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License to Cook - Session 15: Stir-fry crazy!

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This module of sessions aims to build on this confidence and independence, offering students the opportunity to learn new skills and techniques which lead to preparing and cooking a range of main meals. It also provides you with the opportunity to assess students’ practical capability for the end of this block of sessions. You could use the practical observation sheet to help.
License to Cook - Session 9: Pasta mania
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License to Cook - Session 9: Pasta mania

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This session is about making a savoury sauce and combining it with pasta to make a simple dish. Students start to prepare and cook items simultaneously, learning about timing and kitchen organisation. The session gets the students to use the hob and the grill, as well as other pieces of familiar equipment. If your students have not covered session 7 layered pasta salad, then this session will be more challenging. This session also provides you with the opportunity to assess student practical capability. You could use the practical observation sheet to help.
License to Cook - Session 10: Mini-meals
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License to Cook - Session 10: Mini-meals

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This is the final unit in this module, i.e. sessions 6 – 10. By this stage students should be confident in the cooking area, know the use of many different types of equipment and becoming more creative in their cooking. During this unit, students consolidate their understanding by cooking a main meal component. You may wish to observe students’ practical work using the practical observation sheet. The result of this observation, along with their previous practical work, goes towards their ‘licence to cook’.
License to Cook - Session 4: Soup-er!
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License to Cook - Session 4: Soup-er!

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This session allows students to build confidence in using the hob. Although the hob may have been used in Session 3, this session concentrates on its safe use. In addition, it consolidates knife skills through the preparation of a variety of different vegetables. As with other sessions, it also provides opportunities to assess students’ practical capability. You could use the practical observation sheet to help. During this session, students will make either a vegetable chowder or minestrone soup.
License to Cook - Session 14: Rice
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License to Cook - Session 14: Rice

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This session is about cooking with rice to make a delicious meal or side dish. As with other sessions, students will revisit many skills and techniques, therefore making them more confident cooks. Linking to the theme of this block of sessions, it is the Idea of students making dishes at school that they can easily make at home now, and in the future. It also provides you with the opportunity to assess students’ practical capability. You could use the practical observation sheet to help.
License to Cook - Session 12: Curry to go!
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License to Cook - Session 12: Curry to go!

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This session is about students making a simple curry dish in one pan. It demonstrates the use of simple pieces of equipment in the preparation of a dish that students could easily prepare for themselves, their family or friends. This session also provides you with the opportunity to assess student practical capability. You could use the practical observation sheet to help. During this session, students will make a spinach, potato and chickpea curry, lamb korma or Thai green chicken curry.
License to Cook - Session 2: Top toastie
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License to Cook - Session 2: Top toastie

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This session is about students using the grill safely, as well as handling and preparing a range of ingredients. This session allows all students to build their confidence in the cooking area, learning where equipment is stored and how to work safely. It also provides you with another opportunity to assess their practical capability, e.g. safe use of equipment. You could use the practical observation sheet to help. During this session, students will make either a croque-monsieur or pizza toast, something which they would enjoy making at home.
License to Cook - Session 1: Getting to grips
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License to Cook - Session 1: Getting to grips

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This is an introductory session about students getting to grips with cooking and the working area. Some students may have had experience handling food before; others may not. This session allows all students to become familiar with, and therefore more confident in using, the cooking area. It also provides you with the opportunity to assess their practical capability, e.g. handling of food and use of equipment. You could use the practical observation sheet to help. During this session, students will make either a fruit fusion or dippy divers.
License to Cook - Session 3: Brilliant baking
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License to Cook - Session 3: Brilliant baking

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This session introduces students to the safe use of the oven, as well as consolidating the use of other pieces of equipment. By now students will begin to feel more confident in the cooking area, understand where different equipment is stored and follow the routine of different activities. It also provides you with the opportunity to assess their practical capability, in readiness for the observation in Session 5. You could use the practical observation sheet to help. During this session, students will make either fruity flapjacks or tropical granola bars.
License to Cook - Session 6: Creative crumbles
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License to Cook - Session 6: Creative crumbles

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This session welcomes students back to the cooking area after they have completed their first module, i.e. sessions 1 to 5. The students should be familiar with their surroundings, understand safety aspects of using the cooker and be confident in using a range of kitchen equipment. This session aims to build on this confidence, offering students greater flexibility to be creative. It also provides you with the opportunity to assess students’ practical capability. You could use the practical observation sheet to help.
License to Cook - Session 5: Batch bake
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License to Cook - Session 5: Batch bake

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This is the final session in this block, i.e. sessions 1 – 5. By this stage students should be familiar with the cooking area, equipment use and storage and general rules. During this session, students consolidate their safe use of the oven, as well as making an all-in-one mixture and dividing it equally. You may wish to observe students practical work using the observation sheet. The result of this observation, along with their previous practical work, goes towards their ‘licence to cook’.
License to Cook - Session 13: Celebration
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License to Cook - Session 13: Celebration

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This session is about students using the creaming method to make a simple cake. It provides the opportunity to use a hand-held electric mixer, although you may wish the students to make this mixture using a wooden spoon. Weighing and measuring are important aspects of this session, as quantities need to be precise in order for the cake to have a good finish. As with other sessions, it also provides you with the opportunity to assess students’ practical capability. You could use the practical observation sheet to help.
License to Cook - Session 11: Back to basics
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License to Cook - Session 11: Back to basics

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This session welcomes students back to the cooking area after their second module, i.e. sessions 6 - 10. By now, students should be becoming more confident and competent cooks. They should know the cooking area well, use equipment safely and wisely, and be able to prepare a range of ingredients and dishes independently. This session is about learning how to make a classic tomato ragu (sauce), which can then be used in many different ways in the future. It revises how to chop an onion.
License to Cook - Session 8: Deli-salads
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License to Cook - Session 8: Deli-salads

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This session is about creating a deli-style salad using a range of different ingredients. Students will be presented with the opportunity to cook a range of starchy foods, while simultaneously preparing other ingredients for their salad. This will test their organisational skills in the kitchen. It also challenges students to assemble and present their salad attractively. The session revisits and embeds essential knife skills which were introduced throughout sessions 1-5. It also provides you with the opportunity to assess students’ practical capability.
License to Cook - Session 16: Meal appeal
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License to Cook - Session 16: Meal appeal

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This is the final session in this module, i.e. sessions 11 – 16, and of the Licence to Cook course. By now, students should be confident and competent in preparing and cooking a range of different dishes, plus have the skills and knowledge to adapt these for the future. During this session, students consolidate this understanding by preparing and cooking a main meal dish. You may wish to observe students’ practical work using the practical observation sheet.