We’re attempting to bring a bit of colour into these grey days by reminiscing about an event Edinburgh Food Social was part of last year: a celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at Prestonfield Primary School.
As a new school year rolled around, it was agreed that Edinburgh Food Social would work with the 26-strong class of Mrs. Sorensen. This marked the first time Edinburgh Food Social had worked with Prestonfield and we were only able to do so thanks to the funding we received from Place for People.
The class began weekly cooking sessions with one of Edinburgh Food Social’s chef-activists and it was decided that the four-week course would culminate in a celebration of Diwali. This was a great choice as it gave the young people the opportunity to learn about flavours and food cultures they might not have been that familiar with. Of course, the main goal of the course was to ensure that all students left with a new-found confidence in their cooking abilities.
The students were more than up for the challenge. Every week the group embarked on a creative culinary adventure; sampling spices, using seasonal ingredients and experimenting with using traditional vegetables in unusual ways. They also created hot and cold syrups for drinks and always had something that they could take home at the end of the day. Some of the dishes the students made were: spiced rostis with a minty dip, marsala chai, pumpkin cake and cardamon rice pudding.
The pumpkin cake was particularly popular with one student institing on having the recipe, saying, ‘It was the best cake I’ve ever had, and I was the one who made it!’ The group were very keen on trying ingredients and bizarrely took to eating raw, purple-sprouting broccoli.
The young people prepping the food for service.
Each week the students would intercept the chef-activist as they cycled the trike across the playground. This enthusiasm was mirrored in the sessions where, apart from tackling the task at hand, students would also come up with exciting menu ideas for the Diwali celebration where we would be serving both the students’ friends and family.
The final day of the programme began with the class arriving at the Edinburgh Food Social kitchen to cook: chickpea curry with a mint dipping sauce, mixed veg pakora, spiced pumpkin cake and Marsala chai to wash it all down with. It was a mammoth challenge, but the group got stuck in. They churned out a huge amount of food in a few hours, showcasing the knife skills, baking and teamwork they’d developed throughout the previous few weeks.
Once the food was ready we headed back to Prestonfield Primary School where the young people had decorated the outside of the classroom with handmade decorations and bunting. With the trike acting as a serving bench, we started dishing out the food to students, friends, family and even some hungry teachers. Everyone loved the food, and the joy on the students’ faces was impossible to miss.
A happy customer eating the food.
We had a fantastic time and want to take this opportunity to thank the parents and staff at Prestonfield Primary School for their very generous cash donation and also for selecting Edinburgh Food Social as their Christmas jumper organisation of choice – every pupil and staff that donated to wear a Christmas jumper at the end of term donated money to us.
All in all, it was a fantastic time. Prestonfield P7s, it was a privilege to work with you all.
