Dear Parents / Carers,

As part of the Design and Technology curriculum pupils aged 5 - 14 are required to participate in practical cooking sessions at school on a regular basis.

Blanford Mere Primary School is working to deliver a long term cooking programme that will enable every pupil in the school to cook at least once every term.

All pupils will be provided with their own recipe folder (this will be sent home today)which they will keep throughout their time at Blanford Mere and they will receive a copy of each recipe they prepare/cook in school to keep in it.  They will also be expected to share their culinary delights with you and will be asking the whole family to do a taste test!  The results will then be discussed in class the following day.  It is hoped that through cooking regularly at school, children will learn an essential life skill and become competent little cooks.  We would appreciate it if you could also encourage your children to cook and prepare different foods with you at home. Perhaps you could repeat some of the recipes they have prepared at school. Please add any new recipes to the folder along with drawings or photos of their creations. Folders can remain at home, although we may ask children to bring them in occasionally to share and discuss in class.

Occasionally some of the dishes prepared at school will need to be finished off at home by cooking them in the oven, in which case we will provide you with clear cooking instructions. For some dishes we may also ask you for a voluntary contribution to help cover the cost of ingredients.

Aprons will be provided at school, however for hygiene reasons please ensure that all long hair is tied up and your child is not wearing any jewellery or nail varnish on the their cooking day.

If your child has any special dietary requirements or food allergies the school is unaware of please let us know immediately.  Pupils with special diets will still be able to cook and the recipes will be planned appropriately.  We understand that not all children will like the dishes that they prepare but we want to encourage children to explore different foods and ‘teach their taste buds’ to like new tastes and textures so there will not be an option to do an alternative dish or not to participate.

We are confident that the children will thoroughly enjoy the cooking sessions and in addition to learning new skills will also gain a greater understanding about why food is so important for our health and where our food comes from.

If you have questions or comments please contact tyour child's class teacher or myself,

Miss Postings.