On March 11th, pupils at Flanshaw Junior and Infant School in Wakefield were visited by Celebrity Chef, Mark Sargeant, for a morning of foodie fun and competitions!
The school’s caterers, ISS Facility Services Education, who provide the lunch service at Flanshaw School, work with Mark Sargeant to get pupils excited about food and to show them how easy it can be to create quick and tasty dishes.
Mark, who owns three restaurants in England and one in Singapore, has appeared on several cookery television shows, written his own book and worked with the likes of Gordon Ramsey, was delighted to join pupils at Flanshaw School to help them develop their culinary skills.
The day’s highlight was a competition, which saw Mark challenge ISSs head chef, Graeme, to create the best dish from a selection of mystery ingredients. Both were joined by a teacher (chosen at random by the pupils!) and a specially selected pupil from the school.
The mystery ingredients turned out to be a mixture of cold items – a surprise for the seasoned chefs! With only fifteen minutes to create something delicious, both Mark’s green team and Graeme’s red team opted to plate up a range of healthy, finger food snacks. When the final dishes were presented, the audience of pupils voted on the appearance of the food and creative flair demonstrated by the teams, holding up coloured voting cards to determine which was the more appetising of the two. Mark’s team were victorious and his teammates scooped the top prizes; the pupil received a cooking book and selection of cookery equipment, whilst the triumphant teacher was presented with a signed Mark Sargeant book.
Mark later joined pupils for a school lunch, where it was roast turkey on the menu. He, Graeme and ISS FS Education’s director, Mark Davies, sat down with pupils to find out what food they like to eat and why.
Mark Sargeant commented: “The children at Flanshaw were really excited about getting stuck in with cooking and exploring new foods, which is always a joy to see. I am a parent, as well as a chef, so am always delighted to meet kids who are enthusiastic about food. Hopefully today has inspired some future foodies!”
Jean Moyser, Head Teacher at Flanshaw Junior and Infant School, commented: “We have been delighted to have Mark and ISS come along to our school to engage the pupils with new ideas about food. The children have really enjoyed the visit – particularly the competition!”
