Food and Nutrition Update 20 May 2022

Food and Nutrition Update 20 May 2022

Posted: 20th May 2022

New Classes of Canteen Cuisine

Chicken and chickpeas dishes were served up in classes this week as our Year 10 Food and Nutrition students took part in interactive cooking demonstrations and nutrition teaching from Holroyd Howe Executive Chef Jordan Bradley and visiting Nutritionist Molly Wisbey.

The cooking demonstrations and nutrition classes have been organised as part of a joint initiative between school canteen caterers Holroyd Howe and Mr Mann, Head of Food and Nutrition and are part of a new approach that has seen the canteen championing more food sustainability under their slogan ‘Future Proof Food’.  Part of their long turn aims is to shine a light on the amount of meat consuming sustainable fish, more new vegetarian and vegan options (including desserts) and reducing food waste.

The classes this week by our canteen caterers Holroyd House focussed on meat preparation skills using chickens and then the skills involved in making non-meat high protein dishes with flatbreads and chickpea hummus, along with teaching about amino acids and protein complementation of meat alternatives and the sustainability of protein in our diets.

This classroom food teaching then successfully transferred to the food served to pupils in the canteen as our caterers replicated the dishes that the Year 10 GCSE students had created.

“After being taught the food preparation skills from Executive Chef Jordan and nutritional theory of protein and protein completion from Nutritionist Molly, there seemed to be a real awareness of the various components of alternative protein initiatives”, said Holroyd Howe’s General Manager Nathan Simms, “it was evident that pupils in their Food and Nutrition classes were thinking more critically about where our food comes from in order to ensure a more sustainable future-proofing of food”, added Holroyd Howe’s Operations Manager, Ross Gulley.

More examples this week of some of the additional new options for pupils included delicious black bean brownies, a rich and creamy aqua faba chocolate mousse, and even a mouth-watering soya bean custard with wholemeal strawberry and rhubarb crumble.

 

Wildflower Area

 
Pupils in Prep have been helping in the fight against dwindling numbers of bumblebees by tending to our new Wildflower Areas at Queen’s that have been left uncut for both the bees and butterflies.
This week pupils have been using their new hose to water the Wildflower Area and planted some sweet violets in the wildflower area. The sweet honey-scented flowers not only attract the attention of passing insects but are also edible plants for our pupils to use to decorate the dishes they make in Food and Nutrition.
This ongoing initiative is improving the pollinating biodiversity at Queen’s College by providing a food source for bees who will go on to pollinate the foods that pupils are growing at Queen’s like our strawberries and tomatoes.
“We want to protect our ecosystems, and by collectively introducing small sustainable initiatives across Queen’s such as wildflower planting, we hope to make a valuable contribution towards supporting our wildlife”, said Mrs Anne Wade, Year 3 Teacher.

Our rewilding also coincides with the ‘No Mow May’ national campaign where everyone has been encouraged to make a change to their mowing routines in a small way to allow more flowers. At the end of the month, you can count the flowers on your lawn to take part in the conservation charity Plantlife’s Every Flower Counts survey. You’ll then get your own Personal Nectar Score, which tells you how many bees your garden is helping to support. Find out more here https://nomowmay.plantlife.org.uk/

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