Cooking is a huge part of my life. I can devote endless hours to this favourite passtime. Occasionally I will spend an entire day in the kitchen pottering around, making, creating, tasting. Then the family will gather around, pots of tea, biscuits brownies, cakes and then a big home cooked meal in the evening. My idea of heaven.
Something that has always been hugely important to me is getting the children involved in the kitchen. I know a lot of people balk at the idea.....there is mess and a lot of it. But they begin to understand and learn so many things. Ingredients and how they work. Measurements, Weight, Nutrition, Flavours, Safety, Hygiene. Every time they cook with me they are learning these life skills and mostly importantly they are learning that food is something to be enjoyed. It is bonding, life giving. It brings families together.
My fondest memories are of gathering around the large island in the middle of the kitchen and helping and watching my Mother to cook. The food she created was (and still is) legendary. I always felt honoured when she would take me under her wing and teach me something. One of the first things I ever made was a white sauce. I was probably around eight years old. It was a proud, defining moment when Dad licked it off the spoon and declared it 'Delicious!'
So encouraging my children in the kitchen has become second nature with me. Mr 10 and Miss 8 can cook meals entirely on their own ( with just a teeny bit of supervision) Mr 5 chops up ingredients, mixes things together and loves measuring. He is an eggspert (sorry, that is terrible, couldn't help myself) at cracking eggs. Miss Two has just started learning the family 'trade'. On the weekend she cooked her first batch if biscuits - with a whole lot of help mind you. She is particularly talented at licking the spoon.
They make a HUGE amount of mess, which I might add is completely hereditary. They get that wonderful ability from me. Hubby is of course, chief taster.....and chief cleaner-upper.
My children may not be Scholars, Athletes or Rocket Scientists. But I tell you what, they will know how to cook......And that's fine by me.
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| The best part of cooking is tasting! |
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| A night off for Mum! |
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| mmmmmmm! |
Sounds like me growing up Lene. We were always around the kitchen table with Mum, baking, making sweets, preparing dinner. It was compulsory and it was fun. So glad for that experience. My two love to cook too. Bit harder for my daughter who's now at school. I tend to do everything mid week and weekends are easy dinners like tacos, nachos, burgers etc which they help out with. Love the photos of the kids. They're just gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteAnne xx
that is so triue. In fsact this post could have been mine. Poorly my mother was never into the cooking thing. My son cooks with me since he could stand on his own feet an dhe loves to. we are running a family buisness so there is notg much time to bake oer cook togehter on work days, but evry sunday bake something and we prepare a traditional meal. This sunday we have your caramel slices on the list;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this inspiring and beautiful post.
( I hope my english is not so bad and you could understand everything)