Educaterers post recipe a day so school dinners can be recreated at home!

With many children not at school right now, parents and carers may be getting requests to recreate their regular school dinners at home.

And as school meals aren’t what they used to be – with fresh fruit kebabs on the menu, rather than semolina pudding – it’s perhaps not surprising!

So Warwickshire-based school caterers, Educaterers, are posting a recipe a day on social media from their Educaterers Recipe Book, via the Warwickshire County Council Twitter and WCC Facebook accounts, hashtag #Educaterers.

The recipe book was developed by Educaterers to help pupils and their families to re-create some of the school meals they enjoy at home and encourage healthy eating. You can download the whole book for free here.

Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, Educaterers worked with the pupils and staff of Birchwood Primary School in Dordon, north Warwickshire, to test out and develop some of the recipes included in the book ~ including the first recipe which was posted on Thursday 16th April, Funny Face Pizzas!

Also included in the recipe book is a simple recipe for hand-baked bread, which can be used as a base for the pizza.

Other recipes are Chef’s Sausage Rolls with a Twist, Fantastic Fish Cakes and, for the more adventurous, Chilli Chicken Fritta with Coconut Spinach.

For those with a sweet tooth, there are also recipes for Up-beet Chocolate Muffins and Lemon Drizzle Cake.

Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service are reminding parents and carers that this is also a good opportunity to teach children about fire safety in the kitchen.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Services Community Fire Safety and Arson Manager, Moreno Francioso, said: “Alongside the fun activities such as cooking cakes and biscuits, why not test your smoke alarms as part of the activity, and remember, never leave a child unattended in the kitchen when the appliances are turned on.”

Tips to help keep you and your family safe while cooking at home include:

• Avoid leaving children in the kitchen alone when cooking. Keep matches and saucepan handles out of their reach to keep them safe.
• Don’t leave cooking unattended.
• If a pan catches fire, don’t take any risks – Get Out, Stay Out, and Call 999.
• Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.
• Take care if you’re wearing loose clothing – this can easily catch fire.
• Take care with electrics – keep leads and appliances away from water and place grills and toasters away from curtains and kitchen rolls.
• Make sure you have at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home and test them regularly.