Food and Nutrition

Knowledge

For everyday life it is important to know about nutrition. To understand how our bodies use nutrients and the importance of the relationship between diet, health and disease. We want our students to understand the importance of a balanced diet, for their own understanding, but also because as the food industry continues to grow, there are a range of career opportunities in the service and catering sector that this course provides a fantastic foundation for. Other careers such as journalism and the medical profession focus on nutrition, so learning about food better prepares our students for the working world, giving essential life skills for the future.

Criticality

Food and catering involves investigative thinking, students have to research, plan, develop and refine their ideas before making their final products. They also need to think analytically about the sensory characteristics of food and understand how food can be adapted to improve the overall outcome of a dish. Students need to be creative with how they present their food to make It look appealing, needing to think critically about how food affects their environment.

Character

Food and catering aims to develop resilience, ensuring that every student feels comfortable making mistakes, learning from them, and responding to feedback through revision and application. Students will gain lifelong knowledge on how to cook basic dishes, they can continue to adapt and modify their knowledge into adulthood. We are going to study how nutrition can affect our overall well-being and understand how we can prevent (or cure) diet related illnesses. This will help to build a compassion, understanding, and life skills for the future.

Experiences

All students will have the opportunity to make their own dishes, sometimes for the very first time, and develop cooking skills that will help them in later life. Students will make dishes from all around the world, exploring different cultures and origins of food – like how chocolate is made. There are opportunities to speak with people in the industry and visit the local college for a taster in what further education in food could look like.