After the ups and downs of the past week – currently standing at two Goat Escapes and one pig escape – it was nice to get back to the even keel of a school visit.
We picked a salad from the garden, and the only traditional ingredient in it was rocket which has self-seeded itself from last year. It was fat hen, chickweed, mallow, nasturtium, rose bay willow herb, dead nettle, borage flowers, chive heads and the petals of daisies and marigold.
In the absence of a salad spinner (which seems to have fallen victim to “tidying up” (I hate shared kitchens!) I had to use the old tea towel method. Only problem was that I’d forgotten how much water I was about to drive off…
Fortunately there was no damage done apart from a bit of mild surprise and a slippery floor.
Unlike the nettle soup I made with the same class last visit, most people seemed to try a bit of the salad, even if they didn’t all like it. I don’t mind that, it’s when they won’t try that I grow frustrated. Last time only one would try the nettle soup and only two tried the leek and potato, despite the familiar ingredients. I think it’s the fact that they see it being made that seems to put them off. It can’t be good for you if it doesn’t come from a factory…
We still have along way to go in food education.
Looking on the bright side they were good at the difficult questions (eg why didn’t Henry VIII eat chips?) and the best class I’ve ever had for cleaning up afterwards.
Don’t give up. What you’re doing is so important, and even the children who don’t want to try something new might start thinking about food in a different way. It’s the adults who leave me perplexed.
Thanks. You’re right about the adults, some of them leave me in a state of despairing disbelief. My wife took the photo of the girls eating salad and the problem she had was that they kept eating it instead of holding a leaf to the camera. We take it that they quite liked it! 😉
Beautiful!
a poem on a plate