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Wednesday 12th March
Funky Food Day

Red Pepper Ice Cream Spices Up School Food

Our students had the chance to sample weird and wonderful healthy eating dishes at an event organised by school catering company Chartwells, when national executive chef Andrew Walker and nutritionist Nicky Martin visited the school to hold a series of nutrition workshops for pupils, focusing on the different food groups which help make up a balanced diet.

During the workshops, pupils were served a selection of unusual recipes including lemongrass ice cream, carrot sorbet and red pepper ice cream. Also on the menu were white radishes, sweet potatoes, okra and various exotic fruits. There were tasters of vegetable juices such as beetroot, apple and ginger and carrot and orange, which people were encouraged to hold in the mouth and slurp in order to appreciate the full flavour.

“We gave the children dishes incorporating flavours which they may not have tried before or which use familiar ingredients in an unexpected way, such as the red pepper ice cream,” explained Nicky. “It’s all about showing them that food is exciting! As part of working with young people to help them eat well, it’s important to enable them to experiment with new tastes and flavours.  Our award-winning catering team at the school do this on a daily basis by providing a great selection of attractive, healthy menus and actively encouraging pupils to try new things and eat a balanced diet.”

Although some pupils were a little hesitant to try something new, most were enthusiastic in their appreciation of the new flavours. “It was a brilliant experience for me,” commented one grateful gourmet, “Especially the plantain and the lemongrass ice cream, it was so light.”