The food education classes at the local St Mary’s Primary School, were wrapped up for term 3 with a mini masterchef competition between 9 teams of 3 students from years 4, 5 and 6.

The food education classes at the local St Mary’s Primary School, were wrapped up for term 3 with a mini masterchef competition between 9 teams of 3 students from years 4, 5 and 6.

All teams performed extremely well and presented tasty, attractive dishes using skills learnt throughout the program. All winners and participants received an award for their efforts and a gift including fresh, potted herbs to continue their culinary experiments at home.

The winning recipe was cooked by Talitha, Lauren and Jedda and left the judging panel licking their lips for more.

The Famous Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients

250g mince meat

1 tin of tomatoes

2 onions

Garlic

1 carrot

1 celery stick

Tomato paste

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of sugar

Salt and pepper

Basil

Method

Put olive oil in saucepan and fry garlic and onions. Then fry the mince meat until brown and half cook them together in the same pot.

Add the diced celery and carrot. Then stir all together. Add the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let the ingredients simmer for about 40 minutes and then plate up. Garnish with basil and parmesan cheese.

The entire experience has given us incredible insight into school life and the impression tv shows can have on the younger generation. We underestimated the ability for children to absorb and retain knowledge and it was a privilege to spend time with many budding chefs. When the program began earlier in the year, we had the expectation that some of the kids would gain interest in cooking as a new hobby and others would pursue a career in the rapidly changing world of food and dedicated foodies. What we didn’t expect is that we would also end up learning from the students but as they say, the student is often the teacher.