Christchurch Rotary and Bournemouth University support the Fun Kitchen and Learning Zone – a huge success at Christchurch Food Festival
Children and parents enjoyed a feast of cooking at this years Christchurch Food Festival. Over 200 children took part in cooking sessions run by the Christchurch Food Festival Education Trust, who this year outsourced the hands-on workshops to commercial company ‘Fun Kitchen’. Sessions were aimed at a wide range of children from ages 4-12 years old in order to promote a passion for learning and included lots of hands-on messy cookery for the little ones. Sessions covered fruity scone bread twists, Italian style meatballs, curry in a hurry and banana , carrot and oaty muffins.
Festival ambassador TV chef Lesley Waters also ran a session where she taught an audience of parents and children to cook lamb koftas with a warm red pepper salad, with a garlic and olive sauce and a brown mustard seed pitta bread.
In a separate part of the marquee a new Learning Zone was created by Bournemouth University and supported by Waitrose Christchurch. The students from the Nutrition faculty ran quizzes and competitions and gave advice on healthy eating to the many visitors. Lively cookery demonstrations were given by Dr Sean Beer who involved the children in his Roald Dhal’s Revolting Recipes and taught families to prepare locally caught lobsters and crabs and a delicious mixed fruit trifle using Dorset ingredients.
The Healthy Eating Advisor Di Thomas from Waitrose Christchurch displayed ‘Free from foods’ and cooked delicious vegan alternatives for visitors. Joined by colleagues Ali and Helen McClennan they inspired visitors with the wide range of new foods now on offer to answer various dietary needs.
Organiser Mary Reader who is a Director and President of the Festival and also a trustee of the CFFET organised the sessions and said “ I was keen to make some changes this year and it was wonderful to see just how much our visitors enjoyed taking part. A huge thank you should be given to Christchurch Rotary for the enormous support they have given to us over the years. We were proud to work with Bournemouth University and Waitrose and use their extensive knowledge to support our teaching.
More information on healthy eating and the work of the Trust can be found on our website www.CFFET.org.uk