To think knowing about food and being able to cook are key life skills?

[Notcontent]

This is something I strongly believe in, but I think that notwithstanding various small-scale initiatives to teach young people and families about healthy cooking etc the lack of skills is getting worse not better.

I was listening to a Radio 4 programme the other day about child food poverty and they were talking to some young people - one of the teenage girls talked about the fact that until recently she couldn’t cook anything)no and I also had little idea of what a normal meal should be.

This seems such wide-spread problem. So many people think of food as being readymade, processed things that you unwrap and eat.

I think that there should be education about this at schools as obviously many people are not getting these skills at home. It’s so important - eating is what keeps are alive.

Dont forget to add time to manage your stocks, prep, clean the stove, worktop, pots and pans, dishes... Real life with kids is more like working in a cafe serving builders than masterchef or jamie oliver cooking show...

These but Olympics are getting bit ridiculous.

They absolutely are getting ridiculous, I agree.

Learning to do it fast is all about practice. The more you do anything the faster you get. As for herbs and spices etc, those are things you collect along the way. It's exactly the same as pots and pans etc, no-one has a completely well equipped kitchen the minute they move out of home...you collect things over the years.

Most people have managed to do that since time began and despite living in one of the poorest boroughs in London, I don't know a single person without internet access to be able to look at Youtube.

Even if by tiny chance they didn't, they'd have a mate or a relative and could say "Oi, Barbara. Can I look at your phone for a few minutes? I need a few simple recipes".

Even if the government sent free, freshly cooked food to every household in the land, someone would find something to 'but' about.

I do think cookery in school is better than it was a few years ago. There is much more of a focus on nutrition and healthy eating. This is what the National Curriculum now says and I think it provides a pretty good foundation.

Cooking and nutrition
As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.
Pupils should be taught to:
Key stage 1
• use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
• understand where food comes from
Key stage 2
• understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
• prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques
• understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed
Key stage 3
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and health
• cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that they are able to feed themselves and others a healthy and varied diet
• become competent in a range of cooking techniques [for example, selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using their own recipes]
• understand the source, seasonality and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients

Yes. I guess it would be
But fussy eaters
But me not likey
But the space
But some people have no fridge to keep what's not eaten in so it's causing food waste
But some people have no time to be at home for delivery. Never. Ever.
But it's state telling us what to eat
But but but but but.

If anything it normalises processed food.

Completely agree!

Dd was most unimpressed with hers, we still talk about the "design a sandwich" task which took 3 weeks! And most of that was frankly what I would describe as graphic design/technical drawing which teaches them NOTHING about nutrition or health

@campion that's interesting to know. It's incredibly frustrating to see how far removed school curriculums are now from teaching actually useful skills!

Dd also did TWO IT based subjects...and yet I taught her how to correctly use MSOffice, how to write and format letters & emails etc, create a basic spreadsheet (which I did as part of teaching her to manage a budget), how to research a subject and find good source materials online, how to create a simple ad etc skills I had from being in several admin roles over the years plus I'd done some evening classes in business admin.

One of these classes was actually called "business administration" but they were taught daft things most people don't use or need to learn like how to create an in house magazine! Except they used ready made pages! Bonkers!

What these kids NEEDED was basic touch typing, audio typing and MSOffice or similar operating skills! This was and is what employers and educational institutes need and want them to be able to do.

@Bluemoooon yea there seems to be extremes on here. Parents who don't think their little darlings should lift a finger to do chores until they absolutely have to or people like me who firmly believe in child labour and have them polishing the silver aged 3!!

But seriously yes I agree, utterly ridiculous not to teach children life skills as soon as they're able to safely perform them (which is far younger than many Uk parents think!)

I also come from a long history of guides and scouts and was a guider for a long time myself. Cub/brownie aged children are perfectly capable (barring health/disability issues and even then there's usually options) of boiling kettles, prepping veg and making a simple meal from scratch.

We'd generally have 3 kinds of parental reactions to their doing such tasks at meetings or especially on camp

1 horrified that we DARED expect their little darlings to do chores

2 impressed we got them to do them! Either from an ability or willingness perspective "I can't get her to lift a bloody finger at home!"

3 proud that their child was not only willing and able but helped others to learn.

I truly believe that a parents job is to prepare their child gradually so that by the time they're 16 they're pretty much capable of independently running a home. Then by the time they're 18 they're not only capable but confident and ready to enter the adult world.

Dd and I it was just the 2 of us for all the childhood she remembers, from age 3 Ish she was expected to put her toys away when she was finished, put dirty laundry in her hamper and clean clothes on her bed to be put away by me, I made a game of it and she had a little song.

Gradually she did more as she got older, as she started high school there was a dispute when I apparently washed the "wrong" polo top for school one day (they all looked bloody identical to me!) result was I taught her to use the washer, separate laundry so she could do her own! She actually much preferred that as she knew what she wanted to wear and when and could launder accordingly. I still did ironing at that point (I don't bother these days but I liked uniform to be ironed) and actually dd cannot safely manage an iron due to her disability, we even tried a travel iron but she can't manage that either so I was happy to continue ironing for her.

Cooking we started with basic baking as I think most do with little ones, but again by high school stage she could easily manage independent baking, basic meals (pasta with sauce and veg, stir fries, cottage pie and veg - here is actually better than mine! My potato always "sinks"!), by around 14 she was making more "involved" dishes like curries with steamed rice, poppadoms and raita, pastry pies made from scratch inc the pastry, chilli plus sides, lasagne.

When she left home a few months ago it was a relief that I knew she could at least handle the practical aspects.

@Leafstar

Dont forget to add time to manage your stocks, prep, clean the stove, worktop, pots and pans, dishes... Real life with kids is more like working in a cafe serving builders than masterchef or jamie oliver cooking show...

It's basic meal prep, not feeding an army of starving orphans.

There are plenty of one or two pot meals you can make in half an hour or so. Get the kids to set the table while you're cooking, and then they can put their dishes in the sink/dishwasher and wash up as necessary.

Online shopping instead of popping to the shops also saves a huge amount of time, and you can add/remove things as you remember through the week.

Why are so many people keen to act as though feeding a family is the most difficult thing in the world?

There is btw no difference between serving a builder and serving a business person. Maybe just that the builder has better banter😁

Parents should be teaching cooking skills not schools
Plus there are so many allergies /intolerances and diets (plant based)
My 3 year old helps prep most meals at home if she doesn't fancy it I don't make her but she seems to be interested in what I am doing which is helpful
She also tries everything whilst prepping it which I think is brilliant
We are plant based and I have started a recipe book at home for her once she is older with her favourite meals and favourite chocolate cake

Why are so many people keen to act as though feeding a family is the most difficult thing in the world?

It's what Mumsnet is best at when it comes to feeding families, learning to cook, home schooling, taking exercise, losing weight and a whole host of other things.

Amongst the valid reasons for not being able to do certain things, there'll be a shit tonne of ridiculous excuses and a fair helping of whataboutery.

I sometimes think more people come to MN to find excuses than to seek help and get ideas.

Parents should be teaching cooking skills not schools

I was hearing that in the Seventies. And if parents don't have the knowledge,skills, time or patience, what then? Wouldn't you want your children to also learn about where food comes from,how it affects the body, how ingredients interact and why, how to make wise food choices...to give a few examples?

Parents should be teaching cooking skills not schools

I agree, but if the parents have no knowledge themselves, it's not going to be that straightforward.

And if parents don't have the knowledge,skills, time or patience, what then?

Knowledge is not an excuse now as has been repeatedly mentioned on this thread. Anyone with an internet connection can gain knowledge.

Skills will come with practice.

Time is something that people claim not to have a lot of, but there are plenty of very quick and healthy meals on the internet. Also, batch cooking can be done outside of work on weekends etc.

Patience is something we all have to find anyway, especially if we've chosen to raise children.

If parents really cannot be bothered, no school in the land can pick up the slack every day for parents like that, sadly.

If the parents have no knowledge themselves which mean they can't properly look after themselves or their kids
Which is very sad because the children will probably grow up the same
Take responsibility for your own health and your kids it's not much to ask of anyone

And of course time for their kids
You make time for your kids you should always make time for your kids

@campion
I do teach my 3 year old about what is healthy and why she can't eat too much of certain foods
Where food comes from
Why other people eat different food to us
Etc etc
She is only 3 so I have kept it simple for her but her knowledge will grow with her

It just gets to me that parents don't provide at least the basics for their kids why bother having any

I agree they are important life skills. My 12y DS has enormous interest in cooking and makes dinner 2 or 3 times a week. His 8y DS is often his 'sous chef' and enjoys baking.

But just to give an example of how complex this issue is and is not solved just with cookery classes by school or parents.

I am a reasonable cook. I can cook and bake many things from memory and can follow a recipe. I used to always make my DC's birthday cakes myself. I actually learned to cook from my older brother. 3 years ago I became very mentally unwell. The thought of cooking and making mess seemed an impossible feat to get over. I had no mental headspace for it and a obsessive fear of mess. Gradually with the help of Occupational therapy I have been able to take small steps back to being able and confident to cook. A massive achievement for me was baking fairy cakes from scratch (an intermediate step was using packet mixes) with my DD this week. It really is so much more complex than just watch a you tube video and get cooking. And if you don't you just don't want to cook.

It really is so much more complex than just watch a you tube video and get cooking. And if you don't you just don't want to cook.

With respect, it generally isn't so much more complex than that.

It was for you though and I'm glad to see occupational therapy has helped things improve for you

MitziK

Does this level of helplessness extend to everything in your life

No I can tile and lay flooring and fit kitchens and bathrooms and knock down walls and paint and decorate because I learned from watching workmen do all these things.

I don’t think anyone ever showed me how to cook.
And given my results in following a written recipe I don’t know what a boiled egg would have looked like if I had tried to follow Delia

I love the term ‘The But Olympics’ 😂

Perfectly captures the way almost all of these threads go.

Instead of figuring out how to overcome barriers people are determined to come up with every single tangentially plausible excuse or reason why they can’t possibly cook or feed their children healthy homemade food.

If you think this thread is bad you should have seen the one about parents sending kids to school with cold leftover McDonald’s for their lunch. A list of ‘bits’ longer than the Great Wall of China.

Who’d have thought there were so many areas in the country where someone can afford and physically access a McDonald’s while being simultaneously miles and miles away from any other shops selling other foods?

With such a negative can’t-do attitude it’s no wonder so many people end up obese and unhealthy, and children are brought up eating absolute crap and set up for a lifetime of health problems.

I agree with an earlier poster tbh who said you’ve no business having children until you know you’re capable of feeding them properly. By which I don’t mean gourmet meals three times per day, but able and willing to put together something simple and nutritional (even beans on toast with grated cheese is a pretty decent meal!) that isn’t a ready meal or frozen bag of chips laden with salt, sugar and fat.

Even if you’ve grown up not bothering to cook, surely having a brand new precious baby you love to bits is enough of a motivator to want to keep them as healthy as possible and give them the nutrition they deserve?

There are 2 elements, knowledge and the ability to do something and the seeing that something is worth doing. Most people are going to be able to acquire the knowledge and ability here but if they don't think it's worth it they won't try.

There are 2 elements, knowledge and the ability to do something and the seeing that something is worth doing.

Actually I think there are three - confidence in your ability to pull it off. That’s the one that the middle classes don’t understand as a barrier.

Confident in the ability to pull it off!!

Are you serious? Making a dinner for your kids is hardly rocket science or climbing Mount Everest!
It's basics
If you can't feed your child properly and teach them about healthy eating and having a healthy lifestyle your not fit to be a parent end of!
Why do people make simple things more difficult
And most kids love cooking so it's win win get them involved give them basic skills and stop making excuses we have it so fucking easy

Are you serious?

Yes. I’ve worked with kids coming out of care. I can see how this can hold people with very low self esteem back. Easy for the middle classes to dismiss it.

If you can't feed your child properly and teach them about healthy eating and having a healthy lifestyle your not fit to be a parent end of!

There’s no criteria for allowing ppl to be parents is the problem.

The middle classes are not the only people who cook. You'd think that the generations who spend half their life on YouTube copying how to do stuff would find it a doddle to copy how to nake a simple meal.

I can see both sides. I think children would be better off learning about nutritional values at school because they are so confusing now and I think the school is in a much better position to give children new foods. E.g it's a lot for a family to spend money if theyve never used an ingredient before yet if instead of dc taking ingredients in to cook they would be better off taking a set amount of money (or pay termly) to buy and cook these foods. That way it's not a waste for an entire family. It would also introduce dc to loads of food they wouldn't get to try at home