It is the most simple of culinary skills. But, if the latest survey is to be believed, almost two-thirds of Scottish children, or 62%, do not know how to cook an egg.
It is the most simple of culinary skills. But, if the latest survey is to be believed, almost two-thirds of Scottish children, or 62%, do not know how to cook an egg.
The study shows a food skills gap is developing between the generations, with almost half of children in Scotland either never, or very rarely, getting involved in preparing the evening meal. The children themselves preferred to surf the internet or watch television, or were "too stressed" with homework to help in the kitchen.
It seems learning life-long cooking skills is not seen as a priority in Scottish schools, as home economics is not currently a core curriculum subject and most pupils opt to drop it after S2. The Scottish Government's plans to introduce a compulsory basic food preparation course for every post-S2 pupil have not yet materialised.
The role of parents in developing children's knowledge of food and food preparation is therefore pivotal. Yet according to Lorna Bishop, a chef who runs cooking classes for five to 12-year-olds at her home in Dunblane, it is often parents who hamper the children.
"Parents aren't giving their children the opportunity to cook because they don't know how to do it themselves, or don't believe their children are capable of it," she told The Herald.
"I find that children develop an interest in cooking when they are doing it away from the home. When the parents come to collect them, they are either astonished at what they have achieved, or they start to interfere."
Elsewhere, there is a growing awareness of the importance of teaching children how to cook - described by Ms Bishop as "one of the most important skills in life".
Chef Martin Wishart will today conduct his first classes for four-year-old pupils at Loretto nursery school, which is currently running a healthy eating project.
The class will be split into two, with half being taken to his restaurant in Leith and shown a box of fresh Scottish seafish such as cod, salmon, ling and lobster, and being introduced to the pastry and dessert section.
The other half will visit his cook school nearby, where they will help prepare fresh-fruit smoothies, watch focaccia being made with wholewheat flour, and Scottish seasonal asparagus being prepared and eaten. Then the two groups will swap over.
"I have never taught such young children before, apart from my own children, but age makes no difference to a child's enjoyment of seeing a live lobster," says the Michelin-starred chef, who also runs regular classes for 11 to 15-year-old children at his cook school in Leith.
These are organised by schools and paid for by parents. Children get to work with raw ingredients, learning to finely chop carrots, bake, and get involved with making fresh tomato sauce and pasta. "Children's familiarity with food has disappeared, and it's important for them to reconnect with it and undertand where ingredients come from," said Wishart. "Not only is it healthier for them, but preparing food helps with the sharing, convivial aspect of food."
Steve Doherty, director of the Braehead Cook School in Kilmarnock, which runs Saturday morning children's classes under the tuition of Maxine Gough, believes that cook schools have an increasingly important educational role to play.
A member of the Academy of Culinary Arts, which visits primary schools under its "Adopt a School" programme, he is today meeting the educational development officer at East Renfrewshire Council to discuss the introduction of a culinary excellence programme at Intermediate Two level for 15 to 18-year-olds.
He is hopeful of doing the same for schools in the East Ayrshire District Council catchment.
"We never set out to be elitist and only for the children of rich parents," said Doherty, a former head chef at Albert Roux's three-Michelin starred Le Gavroche restaurant in London. "We're very keen to be involved in education at primary and secondary level, because the message we're getting is that there's a lost generation out there: those who have forgotten how to cook, and those who have never learned because their parents never learned.
"When we visit primary schools in the Kilmarnock area, the feedback from kids and teachers is overwhelming. They get to taste of real food such as freshly roasted chicken, real chocolate or sweet and sour, often for the very first time.
"Children don't have a choice of which home they're born into. There are those whose parents are already in the loop and know about food, and then there are the ones who are unlucky enough to grow up in a household where the parents couldn't care less about the food they're consuming.
"They are the children who most need our help."
Kids menu
By the age of six, children should be able to...
- Chop vegetables
- Grate cheese
- Boil an egg
By the age of 13, youngsters should be able to...
- Bake a potato
- Grill fish, chicken and meat
By the time they are 16, teenagers should be able to make...
- Spaghetti bolognaise
- Roast chicken dinner with potatoes, vegetables, stuffing and bacon
- Fresh tomato soup with basil
- Chicken broth made with stock from the bones, barley and pulses
- Curry, both vegetarian and meat-based
- Beef casserole made with onions and beer
- Two pasta sauces: one tomato-based and one cheese-based
- Chilli, made with mince, kidney beans and tomatoes
- Fresh fruit salad
- Apple crumble, using Bramley apples
Ages six and 13 by Annabel Karmel, author of several books on cooking with children. Teenage list devised by Steve Doherty, director of the Braehead Cook School in Kilmarnock, and former head chef at Albert Roux's three-Michelin starred Le Gavroche restaurant.
