Good luck for the Royal Academy National Finals! 

Munopa Nhete in Year 13 and Natasha Ncube in Year 10 are representing Queen’s at the Student Chef 2021-2022 National Finals in association with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts at the end of this week at Bournemouth and Poole College. It has been a busy week for both girls this week as they have been practicing hard with mentor and teacher Mr Mann Head of Food and Nutrition.

Munopa is the current winner of ‘South West Chef of The Year’ and she will be preparing a  venison loin, with a celeriac cream, venison sauce and cavolo nero leaves. Munopa said, “I have always been a passionate cook due to me growing up in a house where food was central to our togetherness as a household. I believe food is so much more than a means of survival and each ingredient and dish can tell a story about where you’ve been, where you came from and where you are headed and that is what I aim to do with my dish.” Tasha will be preparing a traditional ‘Spiced Nigerian Jollof Rice and Chicken with Sweet Fried Plantain’. Natasha said, “I want to win because food and nutrition is something I’ve always been inspired by and wanted to excel in. I want to showcase my cooking and culinary skills to show my family that I have what it takes to be a good chef if I work hard and put my mind to it. Mr Mann said, “Whatever happens I am extremely proud of both Munopa and Tasha for the passion, dedication  and professionalism both have shown to get to this point!”

Queen’s ‘Nets’ Natural and sustainable Wild Alaskan Salmon

This week we ‘hooked’ up with the Alaska Seafood University to help pupils become ‘dab’ hands at preparing and cooking fish dishes in an initiative that is ‘angling’ to promote awareness of sustainability and nutritional benefits of wild fish, as well as a chance to discover the tastes, textures, and versatility of Alaskan Seafood. We have ‘netted’ funding through a FISH Hero program for four cases of Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon during Wild Alaska Seafood Month.

This week older pupils have been taught to prepare Wild Alaskan Salmon and tarragon tarts, served with tomato concasse and chive salad dressed with mayonnaise, while the younger years had lessons making Wild Alaskan Salmon with Chilli, Mint and Coriander Marinated Wild Alaskan Salmon served with homemade Coriander Flatbreads and lessons making Wild Alaskan Salmon Goujons!

Head of Food and Nutrition Mr Mann said, ““We are thrilled that we have been selected to receive this Wild Salmon from Alaska. We think that the scheme was good for the ‘sole’. Pupils have become ‘brill’ at using and handling the Wild Alaskan Salmon and everyone has been left ‘breaming’ with confidence!”

Masterchef Winner Masterclass

BBC Masterchef winner, celebrity chef Dhruv Baker has been demonstrating to pupils this week how to expertly fillet a highly sought-after Wild Alaska King Salmon via video. Dhruv also explained how the wilderness of Alaska with  its cool, clear coastal and inland waters are home to some of the world’s best sustainable seafood. Pupils learnt about different Wild Alaskan Salmon varieties found in the three million lakes, 34,000 miles of coastline and 3,000 rivers!

Head of Food and Nutrition Mr Mann said, “Dhruv’s demonstration to pupils meant that they not only learnt about wild fisheries and the different tastes, textures and usages, but also cook with the fish themselves”.

Alaska Seafood University Course

Pupils completed an online Alaska Seafood University seafood training course which saw them take a deep dive into the Alaskan fishing industry and the different species of fish available to eat from Alaska. Upon successful completion of every module of the Alaska Seafood University seafood training course, pupils were awarded a certificate of achievement from the Alaska Seafood University aspart of the FISH Hero program that saw the school receiving Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon.

Tree-mendous Assembly

Year 3 parents came to Birchall Hall on Thursday to listen to a wonderful presentation by the children all about trees entitled ’What do you know about trees?’ The children were joined in the assembly by our special guest Mr Mann who is the Head of Food and Nutrition in Senior.The pupils explained how Mr Mann, our Eco team and the ground staff have helped Queen’s to plant 420 fruit trees in our grounds and that every child from Nursery to year 11 has their own tree each with their own bamboo label with their name on. Henry from Year 3 explained, “now, as we grow taller and stronger, we can watch our trees grow with us”. Olivia added, “Our trees will grow into a fruit hedge to grow fruit for us to use for cooking with Mr Mann”, before Mr Mann explained what types of trees that had been planted and what might the fruit be used for in the kitchen classroom.