Business in Newbury - Kitchen Capers in Compton

Children from The Downs School, Compton will be showing what they are made of in the kitchen, during a special cookery challenge to be held at the school on 16 July 2007, organised by The Newbury and District Agricultural Society.

‘The Cookery School’ as it is to be known will bring local food and a professional chef, Nancy Lawson, from Sheep Drove Organic Farm, together with 12 children from year 10 of the school. Its aims are to give the students a hands-on opportunity to discover what can be done with fresh food, and to assist them to develop a love for healthy cooking that will stay with them into adulthood.

Inspired by the recent work of top chef and TV celebrity, Jamie Oliver, healthy eating campaigns have been getting a lot of publicity within schools. He suggested five simple steps to help reduce the obesity rates of children within the United Kingdom. The most crucial of these steps is educating the children in healthy eating habits.

The Newbury and District Agricultural Society aims to take the concept one step further by enabling children to gain knowledge of healthy cooking by allowing them to use their skills in a fun environment. Throughout the cooking demonstration the children can interact, ask questions and be involved with the whole process of preparing a healthy and tasty meal.

This first pilot event is supported by Great Wine Online, whilst Sheep Drove Organic Farm will be providing the produce, which will remain a closely-guarded secret to both Nancy and the children until they start to cook. They will then talk through the produce, and its origins, before deciding upon what to create with it and producing dishes in the style of ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’. The chef will be on hand throughout to give professional support and advice.

The Cookery School is a funded by Great Wine Online, (UK distributor for Rickety Bridge Winery) and the Newbury and District Agricultural Society, with the produce and chef being provided by Sheepdrove Organic Farm.

If the pilot scheme is successful it is planned to run a countywide series in the coming months.