Food and Nutrition

All girls participate in Food and Nutrition lessons in the first two years, rotating with Art, Drama, DT, Textiles and Music. In Upper 4, students may chose to study the subject further. 

Enjoying good food - and without guilt - is one of life’s great pleasures. Helping our students develop a love of food, a confidence in the kitchen and a thorough understanding of how to plan and create delicious, nutritious meals is at the very heart of our philosophy in Food and Nutrition. With the superb Culinary Arts Studio recently opened in the Art and Makerspace, we look forward to creating even more culinary delights and guiding our students on their food journeys.

Our pupils have many practical lessons. As well as revisiting the classic favourites, our girls will prepare and cook a wide range of food such as curries from various cuisines, different types of pasta from scratch, desserts from around the world, as well as a firm grounding in cakes, bread and pastry.

Recent dishes that have proved very popular with our Key Stage 3 girls (and parents!) have included: courgette and Brie galette, Parma Ham-wrapped stuffed chicken, harissa couscous salad, glazed apple tart and making flavoured butters from cream!

Our lessons are action-packed, with theory often focusing on the science of cooking: the “why does that work or fail?” approach being a key and fascinating element of the theory.  If you have ever wondered why cakes might sink in the middle or why pastry might shrink when filling a tart tin or have sought the secrets to making that perfect Yorkshire Pudding, then Food and Nutrition really is the place to be! 

Studying Food and Nutrition in Key Stage 3 not only gives our girls a solid platform for the GCSE course, it equips them with the skills and the confidence to plan and cook tasty dishes as an important life skill.  With the superb Culinary Arts Studio recently opened in the Art and Makerspace, we look forward to creating even more culinary delights and guiding our students on their food journeys.  Photos and a short video of the new room are below. 

Video of Culinary Arts Studio

A taster of the students' dishes

L4 Bread making: a delicious lockdown “tear and share” - Scarlett L4 Merriman

“No waste” cooking: delicious, nutritious crispy potato skins with homemade spice rub - Sophie U3 RB

Twice-baked fruit soufflés: Fiona U3RB

Risotto: a deliciously comforting dish using modest ingredients: Carys U4ME

Simple, nutritious vegetable tarts

Elevating the classic Tiramisu

Elevating the classic Tiramisu

Simple, nutritious vegetable tarts

Store cupboard cooking - cheesy soda bread (U4)

Vegetable tarts (L5)

U3 pasta making: Sophie’s tagliatelle and farfalle drying

Upper 4 pantry challenge: Arabella’s mozzarella, chilli and basil salad

Upper 4 pantry challenge: Ava’s quinoa and tomato salad

Rosemary sharing wreath with cranberry and baked Camembert: Libby, Upper 4

Almond milk pancakes: Glory, Lower 4

French toast: Chloe, Upper 4

Berry Pie: Ruby, Upper 3

Shortbread Stacks with Lemon Cream: Rosie, Upper 4

Summer shortbread stack: Jasmine, Upper 4

Soy, miso and chicken kebabs: Upper 3

Lemon mousse and fresh fruit shortbreads: Olivia (6th form Culinary Arts course) 

U3's refreshing and nutritious melon, feta and rocket salads

L4 Pea and Parmesan Risotto

U3 and L4 girls creating delicious, nutrition dishes with sustainable salmon

U3 and L4 girls creating delicious, nutrition dishes with sustainable salmon

Lower 5 GCSE students making herb-infused ricotta to use as a filling for ravioli.

U4 celebrating Afternoon Tea with lemon shortbreads

U4 celebrating Afternoon Tea with lemon shortbreads

U4 celebrating Afternoon Tea with lemon shortbreads

U3 Ashcombe’s first foray into baking in the new Culinary Arts Studio: cheese, onion & basil soda bread

U3 Ashcombe’s Moroccan couscous salad

L4 Tapas

L4 Tapas

L5 Tacos from scratch

U3 Soy, Miso and Aubergine

U3 Aubergine, mushroom and miso

U3 Halloumi Kebabs

U4 Crispy coronation chicken rolls

U3 Spinach pakora

U3 Spinach pakora

U4 Crispy coronation chicken rolls

U4 Fresh pan-fried gnocchi