Who said 8-year-olds can’t cook? I’ve just spent the afternoon helping a group of them grate carrots, slice cabbage, measure out vinegar and finely chop garlic and parsley. We made coleslaw – the real way. No store bought mayonnaise for us. The kids made it from scratch – an egg, vinegar and garlic whisked together. Then the oil very slowly drizzled in while the cooking teacher whisked until it became thick and creamy. What a fun way to teach the science of emulsifiers.

It was great – alright, a little scary – to see the kids chopping cabbage, garlic and parsley with razor-sharp knives precariously close to their little fingers. It may have freaked out some parents but hey – how will they learn if they don’t have a go? And best of all the vegetables and herbs all came from the school garden, picked by the kids.

At the end of the session, the ‘gardeners’ (the other half of the class) came in from their picking, planting and weeding to join the ‘cooks’ for yummy coleslaw, crostini rubbed with garlic and tomato, and a loaf of bread filled with a creamy spinach and herb dip and heated through.

This ‘Garden to Table’ program is being trialled in three schools in Auckland and for the kids involved it’s a great success – better than maths and writing! Let’s hope other schools get to join in soon.