Cooks share how-to videos for kids to recreate school meals at home

They have posted several videos on social media.

Cooks at schools across Edinburgh have been sharing online tutorials showing kids and their parents or carers how to recreate school meals at home.

The videos posted to Council social media accounts include a a recipe for macaroni cheese – one of the most popular produced in Edinburgh schools – as well as crustless quiches or Marie Rose pasta.

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Another video shows how to make couscous with peppers, carrots and onions or fruit including mango, grapes and grated apple.

“We’re all stuck at home with nothing to do, and it’s a nice way to show what we do at the school and to show parents and carers what gets offered to their children,” said Angie Blair, 44, cook at Kirkliston Primary School.

“We tried to make the recipes as simple as possible so the kids can get involved. It’s the same at the school – we try to make the food fun so kids are interested and can get involved.”

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One of the recipes in the videos – fruity couscous – is a salad bar option.

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“We do really good salad bars which a lot of parents probably wouldn’t usually know about,” said Ms Blair.

“We put out bowls of different colourful things, salads, couscous, pasta, a really attractive and colourful variety.

“It gives children the independence to choose what they like, along with the rest of their meal, and gets them more interested. They get more of a variety as well.

“A lot of hard work has gone in over the last few years to get locally sourced, healthy produce, and I think normally people wouldn’t see that.

“It is a very good service and we’re proud of it.”

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Ms Blair has worked at several schools in Edinburgh over the last 12 years.

She and her colleagues are missing seeing the children they work with during lockdown.

“It’s a huge change and I’m definitely missing the kids,” she said.

“We see them at lunch time, so they’re always especially happy! And at that age in primary school they’re willing to try new things. They have great characters and some of them are very vocal – especially about wanting some more!

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“I do miss work a bit – it’s pretty full on when you’re catering for 300-500 kids but I love it, and the end result of getting all those kids happy and full.”

Chris Ross, Catering Operations Manager at the council, said: “We were really looking for ways to engage with people and remind them the catering service is still out there.

“School lunches is something people don’t tend to engage with that much, but in some cases it’s the only hot meal a child will get a day.

“In a lot of our schools we invite the kids in to the kitchens as a matter of course, for them to see how it works. These days kids are much more engaged and involved in food and in school meals.”

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Council leader Adam McVey said: “Our catering staff play do a brilliant job in our schools and were looking for a way they could reach out to the 18,000 pupils they usually serve meals to on a daily basis. By sharing their tips, tricks and favourite recipes we hope parents will take the opportunity to whip up some school dinner classics with their children.

“The lunch experience is an essential part of the school day, not only by providing a nutritionally balanced meal but also giving pupils the opportunity to try foods they may not have done before. We hope these recipe videos will remind pupils and parents the important role school meals staff play in the school day.”

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