Want happy children? Make them play with pastry... not Play-Doh!

Mary Berry says it's a scandal so few youngsters are taught to cook - and her fightback starts here

By Mary Berry
PUBLISHED: 21:26, 16 January 2013 | UPDATED: 08:21, 17 January 201

Showing off the cake she had made for my TV series, Junior Bake Off, the contestant — a shy 13-year-old — watched anxiously as I took a bite.
‘It’s delicious,’ I beamed, watching her face break into a big smile. ‘Where did you learn to bake so well? Was it at school?’
She shook her head. ‘No, we don’t have cookery lessons,’ she said. ‘So you learnt from your mother?’ I queried. Again she shook her head. ‘No. Mum works full-time and is too busy to cook,’ she explained. ‘My grandma taught me.’

Starting young: Mary and daughter Annabel, eight, in the Seventies

You might think this an isolated case. But as I’ve discovered from judging Junior Bake Off — the BBC series to find the best young cook in Britain — and from visiting schools up and down the country, this young girl is all too typical.

 

As the show’s popularity demonstrates, children are desperate to learn how to cook. I am regularly sent photos of children holding a plate of their home-made bakes, quite rightly looking proud.
I was delighted to learn that the Women’s Institute — that bastion of good, old-fashioned common sense — is appealing for schools to re-introduce cookery lessons.
WI chair Ruth Bond believes all schools have a duty to teach children how to cook. Hear, hear!
Of course, it would be wonderful if parents had the time to teach their children but — having worked when my own children were little — I know how precious time is. Besides, the stark truth is many mothers don’t feel fully competent at cooking because they had very little training at school themselves.

Easy when you know how: With time, your children could be making masterpieces like this sponge cake

It’s scandalous we are sending our children out into the world without even the simplest cookery skills. Of course there are exceptions, but my point is that cookery is not a fixed subject on the curriculum. And it should be.
With rising levels of obesity, it’s essential children learn the basics of nutrition as well as the joy of being able to produce a simple meal from scratch. Following a recipe, being able to improvise a meal from leftovers and understanding how to store food are vital ingredients for a happy, healthy life.
I despair when I watch young people throwing away perfectly good food because it’s past its sell-by date. But then who can blame them? They’ve not been taught to use their eyes and noses. They don’t know that while raw mince might last two days, once cooked it will keep for seven.

Making yummy biscuits beats playing on a computer game any day of the week

I learnt to cook at school and I can honestly say those lessons at my all-girls school, Bath High School, changed my life. I was hopeless academically, but I found something I loved and was good at. I can still remember some of the recipes — traditional favourites such as steak pie and fruit cake.
Most of all, I remember the thrill of coming home on a Wednesday afternoon with the dish I’d cooked in class that day. My two brothers would rush to find out what I had in my basket! I lapped up their praise.
Years later, although I was a working mother, I still taught my children how to cook. My daughter Annabel, 41, also had lessons at school. But, being a boy, my son, Thomas, 44, didn’t, which I thought was horribly unfair.
When the children had friends around, I’d get them all cooking. We’d make pizza bases and everyone could choose a topping, or I would send them home with biscuits they’d baked themselves.
I carry on the tradition with my grandchildren: twins Grace and Abby, ten, Louis, seven, Hobie, five, and Atalanta, two. Even at five, Hobie can help make his favourite dish: tuna pasta bake. Watching his chuffed little face as he tucks in to food that he’s made is magic.
The truth is most children love nothing better than cooking. Making yummy biscuits beats playing on a computer game any day of the week. I desperately hope cookery will be back on the curriculum soon. But, in the meantime, here’s how you can help your child develop a love of cooking at home.
My advice is intended as a guideline only and children progress at different rates. An 11-year-old who has never been in a kitchen before will be less proficient than one who has been learning for years. Be patient. Accept things are going to take three or four times as long — and have fun.

AGED FIVE

Learning curve: You'll need to be there every step of the way but even five-year-olds can cook if shown how

You’ll need to be there every step of the way but even five-year-olds can cook if shown how.
Buy a small, cheap seven-inch non-stick omelette pan and a little plastic spatula and show your child how to make an omelette. Put a jug or bowl on a plate (to catch drips) then get them to break two eggs into it.
Show them how to whisk the eggs together with a fork or miniature whisk. Stand beside them as they heat the pan, then add a knob of butter to the pan to melt. Guide them to hold the pan handle with their left hand as they pour the mixture in with their right. As the omelette sets, they should fold one side over with the spatula, then tip the pan on to the plate to serve.
As they get more confident, ask: ‘What filling would you like in your omelette?’ It’s a great opportunity for children to experiment with flavours.
My grandson Louis loves frozen peas in his. And he’s learnt one of the most valuable lessons: food you’ve made yourself always tastes best.
Children love rolling out and cutting. Why bother with Play-Doh when they can make jam tarts or biscuits?
Weigh the ingredients yourself for very young children to avoid too much mess. Read out the amounts you are putting in as you go — it shows your child the importance of weighing ingredients carefully.
For jam tarts you will need a 175g quantity of pastry and their favourite jam or lemon curd.
Roll out the pastry, cut with a pastry cutter and line a bun tin with the pastry circles, fill with jam and bake at 180c/160c fan/gas 4 for 12-15 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Leave to cool before removing from the tin.
Children this age are too young to handle sharp instruments. But they can use a small blunt knife or special cookie cutters.
Five-year-olds love making jelly. Get your child to pour 100 ml of water into a measuring jug. Give them a pair of blunt scissors to snip up the cubes from a packet and pop them in the water. Then show them how to put the jug in the microwave and set it to cook for 60 seconds.
When the jelly cubes have melted, add water to make up to a pint and — for a treat — a can of mandarins. Transfer to the fridge for at least four hours until set

AGED EIGHT

By now, your child should be reading and know their numbers, so they should be able to read a simple recipe and weigh out ingredients. You can also teach them how to use a food processor — under supervision.
Get them to make an all-in-one sponge cake from scratch. Watch as they weigh out the flour, sugar, and butter, then pop it all in a food processor along with an egg. Show them how to make butterfly cakes. These need careful dexterity, as they will have to cut off the top of each bun and cut little wings.

Make baking fun: Children love it if you rename a dish they've made in their honour

Your child is now old enough to handle a small, sharp knife — with you watching very carefully. While making dinner one evening, show them how to cut a carrot.
Choose a small, young one that will slice easily. Get them to hold the carrot with their left hand and slice quickly and neatly with their right (or other way round if left handed).
Most children I know adore pasta mixed with a jar of pesto sauce. It’s a simple dish an eight-year old can make. Supervise as they put the pasta in fast boiling water.
Children this age are adventurous, so encourage your child to look in the fridge, asking: ‘What shall we have for tea tonight?’ It’s a wonderful way to get them thinking about which ingredients work together.
If you get the chance, take your child to a Pick Your Own farm in the summer to pick strawberries, raspberries, sweetcorn or runner beans. It will help them appreciate what food grows in which seasons.
Get them to help you make a small quantity of strawberry jam using jam sugar with added pectin for a good set. Nothing tastes nicer than homemade jam made from fruit you’ve picked yourself. For added fun, the child can decorate the jam-jar labels.

Assistant chef: By the age of 11, your child should be able to follow a recipe

AGED 11

At this age your child should be able to follow a recipe and help you cook an entire meal from scratch. They should know how to dice an onion, grate cheese, peel and mash potatoes. They should also be able to make a simple shortcrust pastry by rubbing fat and plain flour together with a little water or an egg.
Make sure cooking is never a chore. Ask them to help you choose what to make. If you have a pack of sausages in the fridge, how about making toad in the hole or a casserole?
Encourage them to be inventive with leftovers. If you’ve got a head of broccoli, half a cauliflower and a slab of cheese, you can make a lovely vegetable bake, coated in a cheesy white sauce. Learning how to use leftovers is a key lesson in not being wasteful — vital in today’s economy.
By now they should also have learnt to tidy up as they go. Don’t let them run off the second they have finished, leaving you with the washing up. Show them how to load the dishwasher or help them wash equipment by hand.

AGED 13

Using all the skills you have passed on, your child should now feel happy to make a simple meal by themselves from scratch. For example, they should be able to make a quiche — pastry and all — and serve it with new potatoes, peas or a green salad. Can you imagine their satisfaction?
Children love it if you rename a dish they’ve made in their honour. In our home, my son’s signature dish was ‘Thomas’s pate’ and my daughter’s was ‘Annabel’s biscuits’. 
Your child should be able to make fishcakes and burgers, adding herbs and spices. Buy them a book in which they can write out favourite recipes. They should also be making their own sandwich for their packed lunch. And if they have been picking up all your advice, it will be tasty and healthy.
Your child will have no trouble baking cakes by now. And if you buy them a piping bag and show them how, they should also be able to ice them beautifully. Children this age love making and decorating birthday cakes for family and friends.
You may even want to buy your child their own inexpensive food mixer.

Dinner is served: Encourage your teenager to cook for their friends

AGED 16

If your child started young, making a full Sunday roast with all the trimmings should be well within their grasp.
They will get all the timings right and — even if things go awry — they won’t panic. For example, if the roasties are ready too early they will confidently take them out of the oven, pour off the fat and keep them warm until needed.
You will happily put them in charge of making a cake. And if they are very keen, they’ll be experimenting — getting recipes off the internet and adapting them.
Encourage your child to cook for friends at home. Perhaps help them plan a supper party for their pals to showcase their skills.
Teach them how to make food go further — handy for when they leave home. Show them how to pick off the meat from a roast chicken and turn it into a chicken pie with vegetables for a nourishing meal the next day. Then encourage them to boil up the bones for a delicious soup.
Clearing up after themselves should be automatic by now. They may want their own little pieces of equipment and will certainly want to start their own collection of cookery books.
This is the stage where you know you have done a good job. You have produced a young person who loves cooking. Well done!

Interview by Tessa Cunningham