Ready Steady Cook comes to Forest School

As part of Chartwells’ On Your Marks food roadshow, two pupil teams led by Forest teachers went head-to-head in a Ready Steady Cook themed challenge.

The red team, led by Miss Hopkin, was tasked with making Thai green curry, while the green team, led by Mr Faulkner, was challenged to make a mixed bean BBQ wrap.

Each team was given the necessary ingredients and had 15 minutes to complete the task before presenting it for tasting.

Speaking after the challenge, Miss Hopkin said: “I had two pupils helping me, they chopped the vegetables whilst I made the Thai curry sauce and put the chicken on to cook.”

“I mixed the herbs and spices with the cooked couscous and plated up the food. Finally the children decorated the plates with herbs and balsamic glaze.”

During the timed challenge, the presenter, Mr Timothy Elks, spoke to the pupils about the importance of a balanced diet, explaining nutritional values and food groups. After the 15 minutes had elapsed, each team’s meal was tasted by a member of staff before the audience was asked to judge the teams.

The votes were counted, and while the result was close, the red team was crowned winners.

Miss Hopkin added: “I had a very good team and the presenters were very funny and helpful. It was great to get support from the audience as well. I am competitive, so I was really pleased when the teachers liked our dish and even more delighted when we got the audience vote too.”

Despite their best efforts, the green team had to settle for second place. Mr Faulkner added that he was “gutted” to have lost out to the red team, adding “the green dish was clearly the tastiest.”

Well done to both teams!