Welcome to Week 13 at Lunch Matters

Lunchbox1, originally uploaded by Lunch Matters.

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NEWS

This week's blog is a little different to those that have come before because we are featuring five of the amazing lunchboxes prepared by some very clever 15 year olds in Melbourne. I had the priviledge of going out to observe these young chefs in action on Wednesday and I was so impressed with what they were able to achieve with their teacher in such a short time. There were busy bodies everywhere chopping herbs, browning mince and garnishing their lunchbox creations like professionals. They all were working from plans that they had developed and submitted to their teacher in advance, with the criteria of including something from their cultural background, and a healthy amount of fruit and veg. They worked from the start of the lesson to the finish and supported each other in their efforts brilliantly. As you will see from the photos that I have posted this week (more to follow next), what they have achieved is incredible and certainly a strong indication that they are well on their way to developing the life skills that we all need to plan and prepare healthy meals.

They have the recipies for all that you see in the photos and if you'd like to know more - don't hesistate to post some comments on their photos, I'm sure that they'd be delighted to have some feedback from the world wide web.

What was very interesting to note as I moved around the kitchen amongst such industry, was the number of students who commented on having seen someone at home preparing some of the dishes that they had chosen. When I remarked on some of the super professional looking items that they were including, they often commented that they had seen nana or mum making whatever it was many times before. There was also a general sense that many of them played a part in the meal preparation at home. One of the boys chopped his herbs for the Tabboleh that you'll see next week, like a pro and said he did it all the time at home. So in terms of lessons for others, it was a big vote for getting everyone on board at home. They all seemed to understand the food that they were preparing, tasting and adjusting flavours as they went. As a mother of young children, I know that sometimes it can seem like more trouble than it's worth to get the kids working in the kitchen - the prospect of flour from one end of the kitchen to the other and the subsequent cleanup not thrilling at the end of the day, but clearly the foundations that are laid in these experimental years are all important.

It should be added that these students all cleaned their workspaces from top to bottom, washing all their varied utensils and leaving their benches sparkling without a single complaint. So the clean up is part of the process and an important life skill too!

With the students doing all the work for me this week - I'm going to end it here and get on to organising our Christmas tree for next week. We'll have some recipes and ideas for those end of term lunches next Sunday but until then, take care and see if you can find some youngsters of your own to engage in the kitchen. If Wednesday is anything to go by, you may just find an amazing assistant in your own living room.