Year 7 Food
In Year 7 we use the theme ‘Materials & Skills’ to teach the pupils basic skills with food. The pupils learn how to use a knife and create decorative patterns or animals out of fruit they have carefully cut. Pupils learn how to use the hob and grill. They are taught how to make macaroni cheese and other pasta and rice dishes. They will look at basic food hygiene and safety and will finish by designing and making their own rice or pasta salad.

Year 8 Food
Year 8 cooking is all about healthy eating and it is based around children’s diets, which fits into the theme, ‘Children’. Pupils learn about how small changes in their diet are painless but over time have a huge impact on their health. It is also about how they can have a healthy diet but still have the foods they love, with a few small changes. We make the following dishes / items based around healthy eating for children: cakes, bread, pizza, chicken nuggets with potato wedges.

Year 9 Food
In Year 9 we look at how sustainability effects the food we buy and the changes that may have to happen. We look at different cultures and the ingredients they use and how the climate affects what and how they cook. We make a wide variety of casseroles, for example curries, stir fries and Bolognese and other dishes. At the end, pupils can try cooking casseroles from other countries like Mexico, Thailand, and England.

The GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition course deals in depth with the details of cooking and food science.

Pupils need to be prepared to cook often. They will cook a wide variety of dishes from soups and starters, through to meat and vegetarian dishes and their vegetable accompaniments, to desserts, cakes and hot and cold drinks.

Most practical lessons involve making more than one dish, so we ask that pupils be well organised. In Year 10, the pupils learn how to decorate a chocolate log and visiting chefs demonstrate different techniques and skills.

This is an exciting and challenging course, which focuses on the way food behaves when you cook it and also the body’s need for food. It is also a very good grounding in the skills and knowledge you need to put beautifully cooked food on the table. Pupils also have the opportunity to enter the national Future Chef competition and Rotary Young Chef Competition.

The pupils have two practical assessments, both in Year 11. The first one is an investigation where they have to look at how different ingredients or different processes effect the outcome of a recipe. The second assessment is a practical exam where they have to put three dishes on the table in exam conditions. Presentation is very important.  These two practical elements are worth 50% of the final grade. The final 50% is by written paper at the end of the course.

We follow the following specification: Exam EDUQAS WJEC Food Preparation and Nutrition.