A big, delicious, Post -Halloween-y hello from Stir Krazy Kids
This Is a busy time of year for us, having just delivered our October Half Term workshops, and now gearing up for all the festive foodie fancies that Christmas brings! But perhaps we’re getting ahead of ourselves. After all, it’s common courtesy to introduce yourself first. So, for those who haven’t heard of us, we’re Stir Krazy Kids – a cooking and baking club in Yorkshire for 4-12 year olds. Hello!
We started life at a single venue – Gateways School in Harewood, Leeds – but have since grown and now cook up a storm with local children every school holidays in Harrogate (Harrogate Ladies’ College), Ilkley (Ilkley Grammar School) and Thirsk (Queen Mary’s School) too!
Our focus is on really getting kids STUCK IN with food. Stir Krazy Kids is a lot more than just icing and decorating (although we do plenty of that too). We know how much children LOVE to cook because we see it in each and every workshop we do: enjoying the softness of sifted flour, marvelling at the gooeyness of egg, playing with the sloppy sounds of cake batter. And above all, the magical transformation that occurs when you take a handful of ingredients, follow the recipe, and are rewarded with something utterly delicious at the end. It’s something to be really proud of (we think that grown ups can sometimes take it for granted!).
Cooking is undeniably a sensory experience for children, but it’s also more than that. It’s the opportunity to enter a world that is often seen as ‘adult’, and find their own space within it. In the past we have asked our chefs how cooking makes them ‘feel’ and have received some wonderful answers in return.
“Like I can do anything” “Amazing” “It’s ok to get messy!”
With an age range of 4-12, we have to make sure that each of our workshops suits every single child, no matter their age. For the younger children, we will often pre-measure their ingredients and provide a helping hand with mixing when needed! But otherwise, every single recipe that is taken home is made entirely by the children themselves.
One of our favourite parts of the days is watching the children view their culinary creations for the first time. Dishes are taken out of the oven while the chefs are on break time, so we love to see their faces light up when they return to the kitchen and find their masterpiece on the side! Although we do sometimes have to remind them to enjoy with their eyes and noses, and not with their hands (that comes later at home)!
With Halloween just passed, we are now looking ahead to Christmas which is always a massively popular time of year. Our December workshops will be packed full of yuletide yumminess and can be viewed here (http://www.stirkrazykids.co.uk/calendar/).
Monday 19th December – Harrogate Ladies College and Queen Mary’s in Thirsk
Tuesday 20th December – Gateways School (Leeds) and Ilkley Grammar School
Recipes change from day to day and venue to venue, so keen chefs can come as many times as they like (we certainly welcome back lots of familiar faces time and time again!). Exact recipes are confirmed much closer to the time so we can factor in all dietary requirements, but keep an eye on our Facebook page for sneak peaks of what’s coming up!
Moving forward, we are looking at bringing our workshops to schools in 2017, so that we can help to equip young people with the knowledge they need to make healthier food choices, as well as cooking skills for life.Time spent in the kitchen is a brilliant way for young chefs to build confidence, improve motor skills, introduce new flavours and also express personality! Whether that’s at home, in the classroom, or as part of a holiday club – the value of young people getting involved in the kitchen is massive and we recommend you give it a go!
Love from the Stir Krazy Team.
