Cookery at MCA isn’t all tuna sandwiches and fruit salads you know! Here’s how the academy’s take on food is improving the health and wellbeing of our students, as well as supporting people living in poverty across Manchester.
January 2013 Background “The homeless people are very good food critics so if they didn’t like it they would tell you! And, I’m not joking, they are very grateful for the food they receive from the children”
Malcolm Harrison The Mustard Tree
A typical Friday morning at MCA as students prepare food for the Mustard Tree
Homeless centres like the Mustard tree exist in most cities where they are needed… they rely on donations and volunteers, so the more help they can get from kids like these the better.”
Hayley Cutts BBC Newsround
At Manchester Communication Academy, we believe that we need to do some things differently. For example, what may be referred to as “Food Technology” in other schools, is called “Cookery” here – our lessons are not delivered as part of the Design Technology curriculum (which happens elsewhere in the academy) and our modern, impressive cookery rooms are situated alongside the P.E. facilities in what is known as the “Health and Wellbeing” department. Our lessons are focussed heavily on practical cookery skills as well as health and nutrition. Recipes taught to the students are carefully structured to use simple, recogniseable and affordable ingredients – the aim being that these dishes can then be easily replicated at home. To this end, students are also encouraged to research and prepare recipes that they find on the internet in a series of “ready, steady, cook!” style lessons. Ingredients are provided free of charge and, it is fair to say, that cookery has proved to be an extremely popular subject at the academy.
The Challenge It is as a result of the free provision of ingredients that our work with the Mustard tree has come about. Not only does this present an opportunity to use up any leftovers at the end of the week, it also causes our students to consider how privileged they are to receive free ingredients when there are people, not too far away at all, in genuine food poverty. Establishing a partnership that works
for both sides was the first step. It would be of little benefit to the Mustard tree if food was provided by the school as a sporadic act of kindness. When one considers the clientele, advertising that “the Academy are cooking today so pop over for some casserole” isn’t really an option. Consistency is the key here and we have had to prove to the Mustard tree that it can be a trustworthy provider of food on which a busy, city centre, Friday night soup kitchen can depend. Preparing food for this partnership has its many benefits for our learners at MCA too. The teamwork, time management, communication and leadership skills demonstrated by a group of students preparing food in large quantities really is a sight worth seeing in action. The economy of preparing a good, healthy meal out of what is, essentially, a bunch of leftovers is a skill that will extend well into the non-academic lives of our students. And, finally, the values of citizenship that come about as student perception (often dramatically) changes towards homelessness and poverty is also a significant factor.
The Solution Our work with the Mustard tree has been running regularly for over a year now and, whilst our cookery initiative remains at the forefront, the partnership has grown. Visits to the centre happen regularly as part of a project on community establishments, fundraising events have taken place at the school, and a selection of students studying for a Duke of Edinburgh award have even been down to decorate the centre over the Christmas period. Silchester Drive | Harpurhey | Manchester | M40 8NT manchestercommunicationacademy.com admin@mca.manchester.sch.uk | 0161 202 0161