Food for thought

JAMIE Oliver has a lot to answer for - not only has he spear-headed the campaign to improve the country's school dinners, but he also seems to have sparked something of a renaissance in home economics.

Teenagers have latched on to the concept of TV chefs like Jamie and Gordon Ramsay who are busy making food and cooking fashionable again.

At Millthorpe School, in York, food technology teacher Liz Watson said her subject was becoming increasingly popular.

She said: "I think a lot of schools have allowed food technology to go from the curriculum. But at Millthorpe we have always thought that you can't make decent food dishes if you don't know the basics.

"Pupils can take this knowledge outside the classroom and apply what they have learned.

"I think celebrity chefs have played a tremendously important part in feeding its popularity - especially among boys who have seen the likes of Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay on TV."

Mrs Watson's Year 10 food students - tired of hearing people complain that pupils are not taught to cook or present food these days - are transforming part of the school into a high-class restaurant on June 15.

It is named Restaurant 10 /11 as there are 11 students, all in Year 10.

Pupils have worked since February to design the lay-out of the restaurant and come up with a menu and invitations to complement the evening's theme.

They have even written to companies for sponsorship and have been practising making the dishes for the four-course meal. Their parents and invited staff will make up the guest list for the evening.

The pupils themselves have chosen an international theme for the evening to reflect the school's language college status and each course has been researched to discover origin.

Pupil Amy Woodward, 15, has even gone as far as to invite her hero Jamie Oliver along to the event.

She said: "We've asked him to come, but not heard anything back as yet."

Rachel Lovelady, 15, said: "We all brought in our own recipe books and ideas and had a think about where all the dishes come from.

"We get a bad reputation for eating loads of junk food but, on the whole, that's not true."

Ruth Holder, 15, said: "People just take it that because we are teenagers we live off a diet of McDonalds, but a lot of us know how to cook a meal. Junk food is nice now and again, but not all the time."

Ashley Wheatley, 15, wants to become a chef when he leaves school. Classmate Luke Boyes, also 15, said: "I don't cook a lot at home, sometimes if I'm asked, but I know how to make the Thai curry that we have made here at school."

So far members of the team have done well with their bids to get sponsorship and help from local businesses, including £1,000 from the North Yorkshire Business and Enterprise Partnership.

But more help is needed. Anyone who wants to help in any way can phone Liz Watson at the school on 01904 686400 after the half-term holiday.

Millthorpe's recipe

Starter
* Caramelised onion and roasted butternut squash bruschetta with goat's cheese and vine cherry tomatoes (v)
* Spinach roulade with cream cheese and sundried tomatoes

Main Course
* Roasted aubergine moussaka (v)
* Coq au Vin - Chicken breast served in red wine reduction
(Both served with baby new potatoes and seasonal vegetables)

Dessert
* Tiramisu
* Strawberry shortcake served with raspberry coulis