After school on Tuesday 12 February 2019, 4 pairs of pupils in Year 8 and Year 9 took part in our internal heat for the Create & Cook Competition, which champions local food and encourages young talent.

The Create & Cook Competition focuses on local food and is open to pupils age 12-14 in secondary schools in Gloucestershire, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire and Sussex. Their brief is to work in pairs and create a two course menu using as many locally produced ingredients as possible. The competition challenges pupils to learn about where their food comes from and explore the key issues of seasonality and sustainability.

Head of Design, Mrs Evans commented "Our pupils were a delight to watch! Each group working through the challenge they had set themselves. Tensions were high as they came to the end of the timed cooking session. Each group presented what they had cooked very professionally, taking time to arrange the food on the plate and then putting it onto a platter. Cooking Teacher Miss Dearing and I had the wonderful pleasure of tasting the food. It was truly amazing what each group had achieved. Unfortunately only three groups can go onto the next stage to compete with other Year 8 and Year 9 pupils from local schools. We wish all our groups every success." 

At Deer Park we have two-hour Food lessons, so right from the start of Year 7 we have the time to do real recipes from scratch, real foods that we love to eat.

During Years 7, 8 and 9 all pupils have Food as one of their Design rotations, and over the three years pupils progress from basic skills with food and food hygiene and safety; they learn about  healthy eating, about how small changes in diet are painless but over time have a huge impact on health; and in Year 9 we focus on Italian, Chinese and Indian food. We also look at Sustainability and how we as consumers can be more environmentally friendly, looking at food miles and topical issues like plastic waste or encouraging pupils to explore alternative plant based products e.g. vegan recipes.  

Pupils who choose to do GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition need to be prepared to cook often, and cook a wide variety of dishes. This exciting and challenging course incorporates cooking and food science,  focusing on the way food behaves when you cook it and also the body’s need for food. Pupils have the opportunity to enter annual cooking competitions. 

We encourage all our young people to use local, seasonal ingredients where possible to reduce food miles. If your child is inspired by a tv cookery programme or competition - such as Masterchef - then if feasible we encourage you to support them with this creative life skill!