On Friday 9th March families of students were invited to take part in our Family Focused Food Tour and Cook off at the Belfast Model School for Girls. The event was part of a wider initiative Family Friendly Belfast developed by Belfast Strategic Partnership (BSP) to support city-wide affordable activities that are accessible and welcoming to all families. It was also held in conjunction with the Belfast Festival of Learning.
The event involved families travelling from the Girls’ Model to St. George’s Market using a combination of public transport and walking to shop for fresh, local and sustainable ingredients to make and enjoy a healthy family meal back at school. Each family was given a budget of £20 to pay for both their transport and ingredients and they were further challenged to also ensure that they hit half of the recommended steps per day (5,000), tracked using a pedometer. After a busy morning at the market, families returned to school and made a delicious range of dishes including Salmon Fishcakes, Italian Studded Chicken Wraps, Beef Pie, Lasagne, Fish Pie and many more, all accompanied by a range of speciality breads freshly made by each family. The event was a huge success (see comments below) and has inspired us to run similar events in the near future!
Mrs Jackson & Ms Clarke
“Thank you for this today. This has been a great experience and great time spent with my daughter. We both have had fun planning and cooking our carbonara.”
“Today’s event was a great way for Katie and I to spend time together away from the pressures of our daily routine. It was a confidence builder for Katie, she prepared and cooked cheesy bread by herself much to my amazement. Meals at home are prepared a day in advance and Katie has zero input so to watch her work through a recipe single handed brought me much pride.” Thank you so much for the opportunity, it was fantastic.”
“I had a really good time today at St George’s Market talking to different traders then coming back and making thai red curry.”
“Very good idea, we enjoyed going to the market and coming back and cooking together.”
“I thought this was a great idea. I would definitely do it again”
“Loved the event today. It was good to get to spend time with family in the school environment. Hopefully we will be able to do it again. it was a brilliant idea!”
