Food and Nutrition

BTEC Home Cooking Skills

Intent

At Bishopton we aim to give our pupils the knowledge, skills and confidence to enjoy cooking meals at home. Our pupils will gain understanding of how to economise when planning meals to cook at home. We will encourage learners to transfer skills learnt to others and to inspire others by passing on their knowledge.

Being able to cook is an essential life skill which empowers people to make changes that have benefits to health and wellbeing. Learning to cook used to be passed down through the generations, but this is no longer necessarily the case. It is apparent that many people do not have the skills to cook from scratch and lack food knowledge, creating a reliance on pre-prepared or ready-cooked food. Lack of time and money are also considerable issues. These have had a significant impact on the epidemic of obesity which is likely to have a profound effect on the health of the nation over the next century.

Implementation

At Bishopton our pupils will be introduced to basic cooking skills by following recipes for simple dishes and learning how to use kitchen equipment safely. Each recipe is underpinned with knowledge about sourcing food, nutrition, hygiene and food safety where relevant. We are aiming to give our pupils the skills and confidence to enjoy cooking at home, to continue cooking for themselves and their families and to inspire others to do so.

Students will:

  • Use specialist tools, techniques, processes and equipment.
  • Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and health.
  • Cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that they are able to feed themselves and others a healthy and varied diet such as the versatility of eggs, cooking vegetables, cooking mince, preparing and cooking a curry or stew and baking skills plus more opportunities.
  • Become competent in a range of cooking techniques. For example, selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using their own recipes.

Impact

1 Be able to use cooking skills to make home-cooked food that does not use pre-prepared, ready-cooked food.

1.1 Select and prepare ingredients for a recipe.

1.2 Use cooking skills when following a recipe.

1.3 Demonstrate food safety and hygiene throughout the preparation and cooking process.

2 Understand the value of passing on information about home cooking.

2.1 Reflect on own learning about the value of gaining cooking skills.

2.2 Identify ways to pass on information about home cooking.

Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate

At Bishopton our pupils will gain level 2 food hygiene certificate.  The aim of this course is to explain the term food hygiene, looking at ways in which we can minimise the risk of food poisoning. The level 2 food hygiene certificate will run alongside the pupils BTEC Home Cooking Skills lesson.

Impact

On completion of this course Bishopton pupils will be able to; understand present legislation and hazard analysis in relation to good food hygiene, explain the term “Food Hygiene” and the responsibility of their role as a food handler, describe different types of contamination, understand all issues involved in food poisoning and name the most common types, their source and their symptoms. Understand how bacteria multiply and explain the measures we can take to prevent this. Understand the importance of personal hygiene. Name a variety of pests, their signs, and risks in the workplace. Describe the differences between clearing and disinfecting in the workplace. Relate design and maintenance of premises and utensils to good food hygiene.

Key Stage 3

At Bishopton, using the objectives from the National Curriculum, we offer our KS3 students the opportunity to explore the practical elements of cookery as a means of re-engaging with their learning. Students will develop an understanding of Health and Nutrition through theory lessons, exploring content such as: Cross contamination; Handling and preparing food; Energy sources and the health plate. Students are able to develop the practical skills needed to develop an understanding of Health and Nutrition, as well as master techniques and processes which would allow them to access our KS4 Food qualification, and progress onto Post 16.

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