PARKSIDE School students were game to try new ways of cooking during special sessions in their kitchen.

Hospitality and Catering students at the Cullingworth school took part in a workshop provided by a Taste of Game ambassador, before the coronavirus shutdown.

The ambassador taught the students about food provenance, nutrition, and foods that were either seasonal or locally-sourced. The ambassador demonstrated how to de-joint a pheasant and make pheasant and apple bruschetta, and students worked in pairs to de-joint the pheasants and recreate the dish themselves.

Sarah Trowers Head of Food Technology, said: “Taste of Game supply pheasants to schools for free to promote game meats across the UK. The session was fantastic. These practical skills are considered as ‘high’ and will be greatly beneficial for the students in preparation for their practical exam in year 11.

“My Year 10 students had never eaten or cooked with pheasant, but they all loved the dish. They enjoyed the session so much they have requested to cook with pheasant again. We also made a white wine (alcohol-free) garlic and mushroom sauce to go with the pan-fried pheasant breast. I’m expecting to see a number of pheasant dishes when it comes to their exams next year!”

Year nine students held their annual Ready Steady Cook event recently, researching typical dishes from French or Spanish-speaking countries depending on the language they were studying.

Modern Foreign Languages teacher Emily Naylor said: “They had to decide on a dish to prepare, then submitted a recipe card in English and French/Spanish. Six groups went into the cook-off, one from each year nine class, where students had one hour to prepare the dishes they had researched.

“The winners were Harry Curtis, Noah Meydan and Billy Jenkinson who made Tarte Flambée. It was a tough decision due to the high standard of the dishes.”