Eastern inspiration for school banquet
Lidl chef-in-residence tantalises children’s tastebuds
A taste of China was on the menu at Auldhouse Primary recently when one of the country’s top chefs popped in to help pupils create their own eastern banquet.
Kevin Love, who was head chef at Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant The Hinds Head when it won a coveted Michelin star, is now ‘chef-in-residence’ at supermarket chain Lidl.
As part of his mission to get primary school pupils, staff and parents excited about cooking and nutrition, he joined the children at Auldhouse for a fun session all about Chinese food.
It marked the end of a six-week topic devoted to China and its language, people and culture, which included Mandarin lessons from visiting teacher Xi Luo.
Kevin spent an afternoon at the school, discussing typical ingredients used in Chinese dishes, before cooking up taster menus for the children to try.
As well as the 36 pupils who currently attend the school, the new primary ones who will join in August were also invited along.
Primary six pupil Ross Terbitt said: “I loved both the chow mein and the sweet and sour – it was really interesting trying out new food.”
Jack Green, who is in primary six, said: “It was fun getting the chance to smell and taste ginger, bean sprouts and pak choi, though I didn’t really like the bean sprouts on their own.”
Kevin ended the session with a display of flowering tea blossoms, to the delight of the watching children.
Alice Bryden, who is in primary four, said: “It was amazing to see the flowers bloom in the water and it smelled really different to the kind of tea we have with milk.”
Kevin, who first visited the school last year as part of their Health Week, said: “It was great to be back at Auldhouse Primary for their China topic.
“We had fun trying out chopsticks and woks, before tasting a range of different ingredients like garlic, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce and then trying to guess which ones had been used in each dish.”
He added: “The pupils were brilliant. Getting kids excited about food, especially when they are still in primary school, is essential – the skills you learn Fresh ingredients will stay with you for life.”
Head teacher Jennifer Innes said: “It was great to welcome chef Kevin back to Auldhouse as part of our topic and it was extraspecial as our new primary one children were also involved.
“Everyone learned a lot about Chinese food and methods of cooking, and tasting the chow mein and sweet and sour chicken at the end was fantastic – the empty plates showed just how much everyone enjoyed it.”
She added: “The pupils have loved learning about China and really grasped the basics of Mandarin thanks to our fantastic visiting teacher Xi. Getting the chance to understand more about Chinese cooking was a brilliant way to end our topic.”