Eight meals

[helenwyler]

The government are introducing compulsory cookery classes for secondary school children in an attempt to combat obesity. They will learn to cook eight meals.

Good idea?

And which eight meals would you choose to teach them?

[Bill Fernie]

I would suggest Home Made soup.

It is endlessly variable

Can have meat and vegetables amd any variation for all tastes and for vegetarians

Great for anyone who is ill as most will try a few spoonfuls.

Easy to digest.
Made properly full of nourishment.

Can control the salt intake as opposed to cans.

Great for using upleft overs of chicken etc. You can always get another meal out of chicken soup.

Great for families who need to budget or are just plain pennywise.

A big pot of soup means there is always something to eat for those hungry teenagers before the main meal is ready and keeps them from snacking sugary items sweets and biscuits.

Most people who have soup as a starter are less likely to be tempted to have a sweet afterwards and that wil cut the sugar intake and help the diet.

Home made soups can start off as one thing and become something else with additions over a couple of days to keep it newand interesting.

Learning the simple fact of making stock for soups will also be helpful for other dishes and add to future health.

Yes start with soup in the schools and they will benefit all of their lives.

I will resist listing the types of soup as I think another thread did that ages ago.

[golach]

I would suggest Pasta, its so easy to cook, and there are so many ways of eating pasta, and yes Home made soup would be number one on the list for me too.

[Ash]

lasagne or curry as you can put lots of veg in it, so will make it healthier and its easy to make

[TBH]

lasagne or curry as you can put lots of veg in it, so will make it healthier and its easy to make


The government are introducing compulsory cookery classes for secondary school children in an attempt to combat obesity. They will learn to cook eight meals.

Good idea?

And which eight meals would you choose to teach them?Most kids would rather go down to macdonalds or burger king, etc. Compulsary cookery classes is not going to combat obesity. A curb on the amount of fast food restaurants would make more sense. As a main dish the government need toad in the hole.

[Ash]

i know lots of kids who dont eat fast food, not every kid is like that

[Angela]

I think I probably learned to cook/bake about 8 things at school -none of them turned out to be very useful, or all that healthy though -doughnuts, anyone? :roll: None of them really led on to anything else or gave us any understanding of what cooking was about.
I do think it's a good idea to have some cookery lessons though, cookery is, or should be, an essential life skill.
What alarms me most is the way folk (and not just kids) seem to be losing touch with what fresh food actually is and how to cook it, and have very little concept of nutrients and calories. It's not only a matter of avoiding obesity, but eating a good range of foods to stay healthy.
More people than ever eat food that hasn't been prepared at home on a daily basis, with no real thought of what they're eating or what it's doing to their bodies. What used to be a treat has now become an everyday thing - eating pizza and burgers all the time is not only likely to be fattening, but it's simply not a healthy choice.
I agree with the suggestions of pasta and soup, and I think a simple roast chicken dish which then leads on to the use of leftovers (even just a homemade chicken salad or sandwich) might be a good idea. A one pot dish like chili (meat or veggie) would be good too-you can use any leftovers to fill a baked tattie -another cheap and filling dish....and of course there are a number of ways to cook the humble egg. ;)
These all have the bonus of being relatively inexpensive and none of them are difficult to make.

[highlander]

I was reading about this on BBC site, its going to be made compulsary in England, cant understand why this was not made years ago. THB i dont think that all kids do like macdonalds, they need education on how to cook, i personally loved cooking classes at school and got help at home to learn more skills, coming from a family of six you centainly needed it to make a meal go as far as it should, at thirteen i could cook a three course meal, (never said it was edible) lol

[TBH]

i know lots of kids who dont eat fast food, not every kid is like thatThey probably don't have a weight problem either. When did obesity in kids become a problem in this country. It wouldn't happen to coincide with the rise of the fast food restaurant and the common availability of various types of fattening food that wasn't available years ago? Generations of kids have had so-called unhealthy school meals, where did the obesity problem come from?

[rockchick]

Most kids would rather go down to macdonalds or burger king, etc. Compulsary cookery classes is not going to combat obesity. A curb on the amount of fast food restaurants would make more sense. As a main dish the government need toad in the hole.

Of course kids will always enjoy fast food, learning to cook isn't going to change that. Cooking for yourself gives you choices over what you can eat, and lessens dependence on fast food and ready-meals. It can also make you very popular when you go to Uni!

I like the soup idea; also kids should learn to cook mince, which is incredibly versatile (thinking of spag-bog, shepherds pie, lasagne, chili, etc.), how to fry and roast chicken, grill a steak, and how to cook eggs.

[TBH]

I was reading about this on BBC site, its going to be made compulsary in England, cant understand why this was not made years ago. THB i dont think that all kids do like macdonalds, they need education on how to cook, i personally loved cooking classes at school and got help at home to learn more skills, coming from a family of six you centainly needed it to make a meal go as far as it should, at thirteen i could cook a three course meal, (never said it was edible) lolThat's the thing highlander, I am not against compulsory cooking classes as the days of the woman being the chief cook and bottle-washer are long gone and kids of both sexes do need to learn these basic skills.
What I disagree with is it being portrayed as a counter-measure to obesity when the blame lies elsewhere and that should be addressed.

[Anne x]

I was introduced to my love of cooking at school perhaps more baking than cooking but I do agree with Highlander we learn from our parents and what was norm or being cooked week in week out in the family kitchen we tend to introduce to our children
As for something basic I would teach them to Roast a Chicken the list of uses for the leftovers is endless and still provide nourishing meals and Soup

[TBH]

Of course kids will always enjoy fast food, learning to cook isn't going to change that. Cooking for yourself gives you choices over what you can eat, and lessens dependence on fast food and ready-meals. It can also make you very popular when you go to Uni!
Being able to make baked beans on toast with a side order of stella artois will also make you popular at uni.:lol:

[golach]

Most kids would rather go down to macdonalds or burger king, etc. Compulsary cookery classes is not going to combat obesity. A curb on the amount of fast food restaurants would make more sense. As a main dish the government need toad in the hole.
Are there many Burger Kings and Macdonalds or KFCs up in Caithness?

[TBH]

Are there many Burger Kings and Macdonalds or KFCs up in Caithness?Is there an obesity problem up in Caithness?

[golach]

Is there an obesity problem up in Caithness?
Not being a resident in Caithness, I was curious, and I have no idea of the obesity problem or lack of it, I asked if there were any fast food chains there?

[Ash]

no fast food chains up here

[golach]

no fast food chains up here
Thank you Ash,

[Angela]

Being able to make baked beans on toast with a side order of stella artois will also make you popular at uni.:lol:

TBH, I still cook using my tattered copy of The Student's Cookbook by Jenny Baker...it does include beans on toast.... and also recipes for sangria, mulled wine and spiced ale....;)

[TBH]

Not being a resident in Caithness, I was curious, and I have no idea of the obesity problem or lack of it, I asked if there were any fast food chains there?Sorry golach, to my knowledge there are no fast food chains in caithness.

[mccaugm]

Not being a resident in Caithness, I was curious, and I have no idea of the obesity problem or lack of it, I asked if there were any fast food chains there?

No fast food chains but numerous Chinese takeaways, Indian restaurants, Chippies etc. Every 3rd shop in Wick seems to be a fast food type place. I am surprised that the Fast Food Chains don't come here.

Thurso does not seem so inundated with fast food places. IMHO

[helenwyler]

I agree with lots of suggestions here...soups, roast chicken, pasta, mince etc. and all the possibilities for leftovers.

We only did cookery for a term when I was at school, and the things I remember cooking are bacon and eggs, and Victoria sponge (unlikely to combat obesity:eek:!), although there must have been more.

But at least it gave me some confidence. If you've never cooked anything before, simple things like how hot your pan needs to be to fry onions, or the meaning of 'simmer' can make a learner feel they can't do it, if they're not given some training.

When I was growing up, children my age had parents who cooked mostly from fresh because there was little alternative (except cans)...though I remember the dreaded Vesta Curry being served a few times:mad:.

Cookery classes might give some children the option to learn to cook real food, but if their parents have also grown up on MacDonalds and ready meals, they too will need to learn and co-operate, and you can't enforce that.

[Donnie]

The day Caithness gets it's first Fast Food Chain will be the day it has sold its soul. I seriously hope that does not happen for a long long time but I reckon with the business park and big supermarkets heading up this way it wont be long before one sneaks in.

[cuddlepop]

Giving children compulsory cooking lessons is a good idea and it should never have been dropped from the curriculum in the first place.
Soups
Pot roasts
roasts
Pasta dishes
Stir fries
Curry's
Pies (eg fish or shepherd)
You can teach the kids a basic recipe that can be adapted to suit every meat/fish addition.:D

after you've done that you've got a generation of parents to teach.

[badger]

Maybe they should take this one step further and let the children cook school lunches, perhaps with classes taking it in turns. That would give them cookery lessons and might encourage them to eat school meals even if only out of curiosity. It does need to be done well though and that doesn't always happen.

There may not be many fast food outlets up here but there are plenty of places selling junk food and it depresses me to see the towns full of school pupils at lunchtime wandering around eating chips and crisps. Obviously the message isn't getting through. Now in my day (getting off my zimmer for a sec.) it was unheard of to leave the school premises during the day - you had milk at break and school lunch which, however disgusting, was all there was. We had stew with gristle and awful semolina pudding with a lump of jam in the middle, but it was a lot healthier than chips. When did this business of going out at lunchtime start? We also had cookery lessons - it was called domestic science. Think it has some other fancy name now.

[Lolabelle]

[quote=cuddlepop;327430]Giving children compulsory cooking lessons is a good idea and it should never have been dropped from the curriculum in the first place.
Soups
Pot roasts
roasts
Pasta dishes
Stir fries
Curry's
Pies (eg fish or shepherd)
You can teach the kids a basic recipe that can be adapted to suit every meat/fish addition.:D[quote]

I agree with Cuddlepop on all counts.
I saw a show recently where a young couple (early 20's) were morbidly obese and together lost an incredible amount of weight. Around 80 odd Kilos each I think.
The lived of frozen packaged food, takeaway and fast food. Oh and coke. They were shown how to cook using fresh veg, meat etc and lost weight easily. They didn't know how to cook or how good fresh food tasted :eek:,
and they weren't uneducated people, both had good jobs in the IT industry. They had just never learnt there was an alternative to JUNK FOOD.

PS, the only thing I remember from my cooking lessons is Cinnamon Toast?????? And now I cant even eat that as I'm gluten intolerant.
after you've done that you've got a generation of parents to teach.

[Andrew C]

I second Bill's soup suggestion, and I'd suggest 'things to do with mince' myself.

Mince is so versatile: tatties and mince, pies, lasagne, spag bolognese, burgers, etc

[Margaret M.]

Soup is good. Teach them how to cook with beans, not the sugary canned kind but all kinds of beans. A healthier source of protein than meat and much cheaper.......... and more wind for the turbines.........it's all good. :)