Cookies Kitchen Creates New Courses...

Local Cookery School, Cookies Kitchen is delighted to announce its expansion into cookery Clubs for secondary age children. “Creative Cooks”, which will commence in September 2007, is being launched in direct response to the success of the existing Junior Cookies Clubs (for primary age children) and demand from parents worried that their children need these essential life skills.

The Clubs, which will be held once a month, will consist of small groups, allowing practical hands-on cookery and plenty of individual tuition. Every session will combine the importance of eating healthily with good old fashioned methods of cookery and there will be a strong emphasis on sourcing and eating local produce. In line with the Company’s healthy eating strategy, resident nutritionist, Mandy Cohen, will be fully involved with the preparation of recipes and session content.

Maxine Pancaldi of Cookies Kitchen said: “We are very excited to be launching Creative Cooks. The Clubs will follow a similar format to our Junior Cookies, in terms of promoting the use of local produce and our use of facts sheets, but these Clubs will take cookery that bit further. Creative Cooks will be just as the name suggests - the children will be very involved with the whole process of cookery from start to finish and, will even find themselves washing up afterwards.“

The Clubs, which will take place once a month, at weekends, will run for two and a half hours. During this time the children will make and create recipes including a variety of dishes including two and three course meals, snacks and picnics, breakfasts and puddings.

There is an annual membership of £20. Upon joining the Club, Creative Cooks will receive their own apron and recipe holder and benefit from membership discounts and have access to Cookies Kitchen’s resident nutritionist. Sessions which cost £20* include all equipment, ingredients and literature. Club Members need only bring themselves and suitable containers to take their creations home in.

Spaces will be limited therefore “would-be Creative Cooks” interested in signing up for September are strongly advised to contact either Maxine or Catherine for details of spaces, dates and venues.

As Universities and Colleges prepare to open their doors to another new intake, young hopefuls will be spreading their wings, learning to live away from home and most importantly learning to survive on a budget.

It is also a time when parents begin to fret that their child will starve!

But help is at hand. Local Cookery School Cookies Kitchen is launching “Kitchen Survivors”, providing practical skills and know-how that will set the students up for a life without mum and dad.

With two courses to choose from, Kitchen Survivors covers the basics of how to eat well within a budget and provides some handy hints on food hygiene. There is plenty of practical experience too, as they will get the chance to cook for themselves. On the “Enhanced Survival” course students will be given a budget and shown how to shop for their lunch at a local supermarket, which they then return to the kitchen to cook.

Maxine Pancaldi of Cookies Kitchen said: “This year hundreds of young adults will be embarking on one of the most exciting periods of their lives. Amidst a combination of new places, people and freedom, eating healthily often goes out of the window. Our courses will give a helping hand, showing how you can eat sensibly, without hours of preparation or breaking the bank.

“We want to give as much practical advice as possible within a reasonable time frame and, by offering gift vouchers we hope these courses could even be a perfect send off present”.

The courses, offered over one and two days, will run in June, July and September from local bases in Mark Cross, near Tunbridge Wells and Underriver, near Sevenoaks. Prices are per person and range from £60 for 3 hours of “Basic Survival” to £180 for 7 hours over 2 days of “Enhanced Survival”.  (Course details below).

All equipment, ingredients and literature are included in the cost of each course – students only need to bring themselves.