La Semaine du Goût (Week Of Tastes) began more than 20 years ago thanks to a group of French chefs. The program and associated events are designed to educate everyone from children to adults to develop a positive attitude towards tasting new foods, engage all 5 senses and much more.

Helen Campbell, a Chef and woman of many talents, introduced the program to Australia at Ascham School in 2008. Following the successful introduction, 2011 saw over 3,500 Sydney, regional NSW, country Victoria, Hobart and Adelaide children taste, bake and cook. They expressed their creativity through wonderful artwork, and food memories were explored with some brilliant writing and poetry submitted to the “My most memorable meal”competition.

On Thursday the 23rd of August we visited Newtown  Public School to teach 3 classes about French cuisine and healthy eating as part of the Week Of Tastes program. Each class was taught how to make the perfect French crepes and the Principal and teachers participated by successfully flipping crepes in the pan to a round of applause. Three lucky students were chosen to name all the ingredients used and they each won a copy of ‘Bitton – A French-inspired Cafe Cookbook‘.

Three more students who demonstrated exceptional food knowledge were given a Bitton Strawberry & Vanilla Jam to take home. The range of knowledge across all classes was outstanding and we won’t be surprised if some of these students follow a career in the food industry.

A selection of fruit and vegetables were the topic of interesting discussion. Rhubarb, quince, pomegranate, red radish, black radish, white radish (also known as daikon) and asparagus. We passed around some pomegranate seeds and red radish and emphasized that even though we don’t all enjoy the same flavours, its important to try.

The overall enthusiasm displayed by the students was inspiring and we’re grateful for being involved in a project that is making such a positive impact on our future generations.

To find out more and get involved, visit www.weekoftastes.com.au.