Mary Bramston 11 and Tim Smith 12 with their freshly made pasta by Nathalie Craig.
REALISING that food does not just come from a packet has been an eye-opening experience for children involved in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program at Bulahdelah Central School.
Last Friday the cooking room was filled the scent of garlic and freshly baked bread as students made lunch from scratch using produce from the school’s new kitchen gardens.
The gardens were built at the start of the year and stage two of the program, the harvesting and cooking, has just begun.
‘‘The students just love it,’’ kitchen specialist Nikki Dixon said.
Last week year six baked their own focaccia, made their own silverbeet pasta, coriander pesto, herb butter and ricotta.
‘‘It’s about basic food processing like making pasta and butter and not always having to go and buy it,’’ she said.
Program coordinator Sally Thompson said she also loved the way the children sat down to share and talk about the food once it was ready.
‘‘Some of them miss out on that sitting down and sharing experience at home,’’ she said.
Now the gardens are productive and cooking classes have started, the school is calling for more volunteers to help out. Ms Thompson said volunteers were particularly needed for the kitchen. Volunteers do not need to know how to cook, but just be willing to learn and support the children. Anyone interested can contact the school on 4997 4329.