Educational ProjectThe following primary schools are visiting the Ballymaloe Cookery School on:-
Wednesday March 14th Park National School
Wednesday March 21st Shanagarry National School
Thursday April 26th Brooklodge National School
Wednesday May 9th Brooklodge National School
Wednesday May 16th Ballycotton National School
Wednesday May 23rd Shanagarry National School
Wednesday May 30th Kilcredan National School
Wednesday June 6th Kilbehenny National School
Wednesday June 13th Curraglass National School
East Cork Slow Food Educational Project
East Cork Slow Food launched an educational ‘grow and cook’ project with four local schools in 2005. The number has now increased to nine with several others on a waiting list. The participating schools are: Ballycotton National School, Shanagarry National School, Kilcredan National School, Brooklodge National School, St Coleman’s National School, Castlemartyr National School, Park National School, Curraglass Primary and Kilbehenny Primary.
The fifth and sixth class pupils come to the Ballymaloe Cookery School several times a year. The class divides into two. One half become little cooks and chefs and the other don their wellies and go out around the garden with Susan McKeown and another assistant. The latter learn about plants and animals, birds and insects on the farm. They feed the hens and pigs, smell the herbs, identify trees and fruit and suggest ways to use them and put fertile eggs into the incubator to hatch so the pupils can see chicks emerging from the shells approximately 21 days later.
The little cooks and chefs put on their aprons and head into the kitchen where the cooking teachers are waiting to teach them how to prepare lunch. Each teacher has about 6 students. By the time the hungry little farmers arrive back in the cooks have laid the table with a little vase of flowers on each and are ready to serve up the lunch they cooked for the whole group. Emphasis is on learning in a fun atmosphere.
Each school must have an Edible School Garden project and compost heap to teach children how to grow and harvest. After lunch the students feed the left over food scraps to the hens and learn how they will be become eggs a few days later!
East Cork Slow Food sends a chicken ark and two hens to each school with the understanding that they can return during the school holidays if necessary but our
The children are taught how to look after the hens (they feed left over school lunch and move the chicken coop onto fresh grass every few days). They also clean out the chicken ark and add the chicken manure to the compost heap. They learn that this activates the compost which will eventually be dug into the vegetable bed to make the soil more fertile to grow more vegetables. You can’t imagine the excitement when the hens lay an egg. Schools have a different arrangement – some give the eggs to the students on a rota basis, others raffle the eggs to raise funds for the school. During the growing season summer vegetables are sold to parents from a little ‘farmers market’ stall on a Friday thus teaching entrepreneurial skills.
Format of the Day at Ballymaloe Cookery School
The children from 5th or 6th class arrive at 9:30am with wellies or kitchen knives and an apron depending on which area they are destined for on that day. The class of 28 – 36 is divided into two groups.
Slow Farmers
The ‘young farmers’ don their wellies and meet with two of the school’s gardeners to walk through the organic farm, the gardens and down to the greenhouses. The activities vary depending on the season; sometimes we start in the fruit garden. In Spring there is blossom on the apple, almond, plum and pear trees. There are elderflowers, wild garlic, rhubarb, land cress. In Summer there are peaches and apricots on the south wall of the Cookery School raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries and various currants as well as tiny fraises du bois. In Autumn apples, pears, crab apples, figs, hazelnuts and Autumn raspberries are there to be enjoyed. The garden enthusiasts also learn about foraging and point out the bounty of wild foods available all year round, not just in Autumn. In Winter there is still lots to learn, particularly in the vegetable garden and the greenhouses.
Then we show the children the hens - there are lots of different breeds – Rhode Island Red, Marrans, Aracuna’s, Polish Bantams. Next up we visit the Palais des poulets so they can collect some fresh eggs from the nests. We talk about eggs and where chicks come from. Then the children put some fertile eggs into the incubator so they can see the chicks hatch out when they return approximately 21 days later.
They continue on down through the vegetable and herb gardens discussing everything from the magic of earth worms in the soil to the importance of bees. When they get to the greenhouse, they see a variety of crops growing. They might dig potatoes; pick tomatoes, taste cucumbers, chilli, beetroot, radishes or rocket, depending on the season. They then walk along the lane to see the free range pigs and bonhams. We talk about traditional breeds, free range juicy pork and making sausages. They see our Jersey cows and when they return to the school we show them how milk is separated from the cream. Sometimes we make butter from the cream and talk about cheese.
There are endless possibilities. The children then learn to sow some seeds or plants into the raised beds beside the school, depending on the season. Each school has an allocated ‘mini garden’ to grow in.
There are lots of games. One entails guessing by feel the vegetables and fruit in our mystery boxes which holds 14 items. Sometimes we do a treasure hunt or a question and answer session about what they have learned during the farm walk.
The Slow Cooks
Meanwhile the other group of young cooks and chefs start by sourcing some of their ingredients. In Autumn they might pick some blackberries on their way up from the school and then gather some wind-fall apples in the orchard for blackberry and apple crumble or pick tomatoes for tomato fondue or collect eggs fresh from the nest in the hen house for a frittata.
Then they don their aprons, paper hats, wash their hands and head for the kitchens. We divide the class in three smaller groups and have one teacher with every five or six children.
Each group cooks a different part of the menu. The teachers chat about food and answer questions throughout.
By 12pm lunch is ready in the dining room; the “hungry farmers” return, take off their wellies and join the cooks for lunch in the dining room or out in the fruit garden in the summer.
After lunch the children feed the food scraps to the hens, which they know will produce eggs a few days later, all part of a holistic cycle.
Annual Competition
We organize competitions among the schools with some great prizes to be won. In recent years there was the Best Garden Scarecrow using recycled materials from the school. Another year there was the Best Garden Sculpture using materials from the seashore. This year we are running the Best Edible School Garden and the list of considerations include quality of soil, compost heap, variety of fruit and vegetables, variety of herbs and edible flowers, educational material available for pupils and school lunch box – must have a piece of fresh fruit and/or vegetable. There is a substantial first, second and third prize. The prize money is to be spent in the School Garden or help with setting up a Kitchen Class Room.
Legacy
In one school alone 35 parents started a vegetable garden and 20 parents got hens for the first time. Two children budding entrepreneurs started an egg business at home. They took over responsibility for the hens and sold the eggs to their parents an overnight success!
A Sample Menu
Group One
• Homemade Sausages and Bramley Apple Sauce (made with pork from our free-range pigs and cooking apples from the orchard)
• Fork Biscuits
• Meringues with Chocolate Sauce or Berries (made with organic egg whites from our own hens)
Group Two
• French Toast with seasonal berries or crispy bacon
• Macaroni Cheese, made with cheese from the dairy
• Bananas in Lime Syrup
Group Three
• Cruditées with Garlic Mayonnaise (vegetables and garlic from our garden, eggs from the hens)
• Quesadillas with Tomato Salsa (made with home grown tomatoes)
Popovers with Cheddar Cheese or homemade Raspberry Jam
Seasonal Salad
