On a plate

I still have a vivid memory of our first ever after-school cookery club. The doorbell rang and ten hungry and excited children, swinging their school bags and coats, spilled into our reception area. Tripping over each other to be the first, they bombarded me with questions about what we were going to do and make. I was just as apprehensive as the children, most of whom had no experience of cooking at all. It all made for a cocktail of nervous adrenaline and I seriously wondered how this culinary adventure was goingto turn out.

I run the Kids' Cookery School (KCS) in west London, and we have a special after-school cookery club every weekday. It is very popular and the same local children come back once a week in their regular slot. We start the children at five years old and take them up to 12. The children learn to prepare and cook a delicious healthy tea, which they then sit down and eat with friends and staff. It is very informal but lots of fun. We are trying to instil into the children a love of food and a flair for cooking. Every day, we see new evidence that children can soon become more confident and efficient and enjoy the feeling of happiness and safety in a kitchen environment with delicious results.