Young people could qualify for a day spent working behind the scenes with top chef Tom Kitchin, thanks to the Futures Institute at Dollar Academy (FIDA).
Launched this Summer, FIDA is a new and free Scottish online platform for all children aged 14-18. There are currently five Global Challenges to solve “real world problems” on the website, though they will be offering 17 by the end of July. All of these are centred around the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Cooking whizz kids who want to take part have only got until Friday June 18 to enter My Community, My Food, which is based around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal Number 2, Zero Hunger, and is open to 16-18 year olds.
As it says on the FIDA website: “In this challenge, you will learn about the Local Food Movement that is gaining momentum across the world, through initiatives such as the 100-Mile Diet, organic farming, and the farm-to-table movement. You will discover the foods produced sustainably within 100 miles of your location - and then create an original dish made primarily from these local foods”.
The five-part challenge, which should take from three to five hours, includes a video contribution from MasterChef 2019 finalist and Dollar Academy history teacher, Jilly McCord. She covers how to combine flavours and create interesting textures, as well as revealing a few suitable ingredients, which, at this time of year, might include strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, asparagus or your own foraged wild garlic.
Rather than a conventional recipe, participants will also design and submit an “exploded sketch”, which details all the ingredients and elements they’re using and how to assemble their creation. (Think of the drawings they do on the Great British Bake Off, they’re a bit like that).
Everyone who takes part will get a certificate of completion and some of the finished recipes will appear in a digital cookbook. However, whoever “submits a outstanding piece of work” - aka the best dish - will bag the work experience day at The Kitchin, to take place on June 24.
