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So this week for our Junior Chefs, it is all about leeks!

Cooking in Season

Nothing says autumn quite like a hearty, pasta bake and making use of vegetables when they are in season is normally cheaper due to an abundance of the crop, but also they will have better flavours!

This week we will be looking at leeks, it is one of the few vegetables that are at their best during the autumn months. It is packed with nutrients and crucial anti-oxidants, to keep you healthy.

Available (September to November) the British leek is a fantastically versatile vegetable that adds flavour and bite to many dishes.

Leeks are from the same family as onion and garlic they are an allium vegetable.

In this weeks dish we will be using the following skills:

Weighing, measuring, chopping, mixing/combining, blending, boiling/simmering, frying and grilling.

Teaching children correct knife skills is essential by using the correct ‘bridge and claw’ method you can ensure both a safe and efficient technique for life.

Children’s Classes

Nadine

After lots of research we discovered the ‘Le Petit Chef Collection’ – from France, this fantastic set is just perfect for teaching children how to cook safely.

It has a stainless steel rounded tipped blade 10 cm long blade ideal for smaller hands but still robust and perfect for cutting and slicing thinly.

The learning ring helps children to position their fingers correctly and prevents hands slipping onto the blade.

The peeler also has a learning ring to encourage correct positioning of the fingers.

The finger guard protects the hand holding the food to be cut.

The ‘claw’ position can then be adopted with the first two fingers, leaving the thumb and little finger free to hold the food just like all the leading Chefs!

Nadine