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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School cookery, very expensive

259 replies

Toomanyblanklooks · 20/11/2023 07:59

I’ve just checked what DD needs for cookery tomorrow. 8 chicken breasts!
AIBU to thinks it’s too expensive and too much food?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Caerulea · 21/11/2023 10:23

Toomanyblanklooks · 21/11/2023 10:06

I didn’t contact the school just decided to alter the amounts of ingredients as if I was making this at home. I have all the spices as I often cook with them and bought a 750g pack of chicken from Morrison’s for £4.49.

The teacher is sick and the lesson has been cancelled!

Ha! This happened to one of mine. We got all the stuff inc the chicken, teacher was ill so all the stuff they'd brought in got thrown away on the same day!! Someone other adult just emptied the fridges of everything & binned it. We were livid.

Original poster
Toomanyblanklooks · 21/11/2023 10:29

@Caerulea we got a message from school before DD set off so that’s a positive.

OP posts:
Madcats · 21/11/2023 11:35

I hope the teacher is okay, but perhaps they were checking out this thread on Mumsnet.....

I hope you enjoy your curry (or what ever you decide to cook).

TheSquareMile · 21/11/2023 12:54

Toomanyblanklooks · 21/11/2023 10:06

I didn’t contact the school just decided to alter the amounts of ingredients as if I was making this at home. I have all the spices as I often cook with them and bought a 750g pack of chicken from Morrison’s for £4.49.

The teacher is sick and the lesson has been cancelled!

It's a pity that the lesson was cancelled, but it can't be helped.

Could you do a mini lesson in your kitchen instead?

idealgift · 21/11/2023 12:59

Toomanyblanklooks · 21/11/2023 10:06

I didn’t contact the school just decided to alter the amounts of ingredients as if I was making this at home. I have all the spices as I often cook with them and bought a 750g pack of chicken from Morrison’s for £4.49.

The teacher is sick and the lesson has been cancelled!

food poisoning probably!

Alargeoneplease89 · 21/11/2023 13:05

I'm glad my DS doesn't do cookery anymore but was definitely expensive especially when on a low income and its recipes we don't eat. I normally substitute the meat for veggie even though we are meateaters because its cheaper and I worry about food poisoning.

milveycrohn · 21/11/2023 13:26

I've posted earlier upthread, but just wanted to say that when I was at school, the teacher provided the ingredients and we had to pay our share; the cost was notified in advance.
I understand that this would not work today, because so many would not have brought the money, etc, but another poster said they had to pay for the term upfront, which sounds a good idea.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 21/11/2023 13:42

Toomanyblanklooks · 21/11/2023 10:29

@Caerulea we got a message from school before DD set off so that’s a positive.

We’ll that’s dinner sorted for you tonight 🙂

Properjob · 21/11/2023 17:41

That would feed 8 to 10 people, it has to be a mistake, unless they always cater for 10???

ThistleTits · 21/11/2023 18:21

@Toomanyblanklooks
Container with a lid? She'll need a mini skip to bring that home!

Chocaholic4672 · 21/11/2023 18:36

I think it should have been chicken thighs which makes more sense. 2 thighs per person. Cheaper meat although tasty for a curry!

Cosicosi · 21/11/2023 19:01

It was such a pain! Although it's only 30g this, 100g that but I have to buy all the stuff and each lesson cost about tenner and we not gonna eat the food at all!

jasminocereusbritannicus · 21/11/2023 19:29

I think that has to be an error ...maybe 8 chicken thighs - that's usually about £3.

Ilovecleaning · 21/11/2023 19:32

Sounds bonkers to me.

ToffeeMamma · 21/11/2023 20:25

That would cater for about 8 not 4. The cake however would cater for four because the presence of banana means it would need.less flour etc. you can make a decent sized cake with 90g flour, 90g sugar, 90g butter and 2 eggs. But the meal is definatley out or the teacher has found t in a recipe book designed at party catering or school dinner. 1 whole chilli and all the liquid from tomatoes and cream and yogurt they'd need a large pan to make it all. It's definitely catering sizes.

Rosejasmine · 21/11/2023 20:26

Have they got the quantity wrong? Usually it would be just the one chicken breast surely - small quantities were made in our school anyway.
what are the other ingredients/quantities?

Daisyb1080 · 21/11/2023 22:37

As a food tech teacher I would never expect anyone to supply 8 chicken breasts! That’s insane and completely unrealistic.

MadMadaMim · 22/11/2023 00:44

There's an error - it's meant to say thighs, not breasts

penjil · 22/11/2023 02:19

Toomanyblanklooks · 20/11/2023 08:08

The week after they are making a cake and the quantities for that seem too small - I think there’s been an error somewhere!

Are you able to contact the teacher and query it all?

Miisty · 22/11/2023 05:08

What an expensive meal alone with the cost of chicken breasts A piece of chicken breast can be huge in some of the packs I used to see alot of my clients at home and they could not cook as Home Economics not taught in schools or just add tins or jars but this is not teaching them economics as it is hugely expensive

Ukrainebaby23 · 22/11/2023 05:33

Deliaskis · 20/11/2023 08:04

That's insane and yes, far too expensive for school cookery. I was impressed with DD's school's approach to this.... Everybody pays £15 at the start of term and school provide the ingredients. It's far better, and means nobody is going a while jar of something when the recipe calls for a teaspoon.

What a good idea. Much less waste too.

OldPerson · 22/11/2023 06:07

Looking at that recipe - that feeds 8?? Since no avererage family cooks for 8 every night, and class time is limited - It looks like it was intended for four students to cook. Students cook once a fortnight for a maximum of two terms in their life. Schools place students in the same pair or four for the entire term. Btw: I was stupid enough to offer to buy the ingredients and share the cost among the other three my child was placed with for the entire term. Once you take on the responsibility, reimbursement falls off the radar of the other parents. I'd recommend you rotate the responsibility, so all parents in the group, are involved and responsible for sourcing ingredients for one cooking session.

Fancyabikky · 22/11/2023 07:28

Loooool. Totally agree!
dd is in yr 7 and every week an email pops up “ingredients needed”
but what irks me more is that she’s had to pre-prep for certain meals…..chopping a onion cutting chicken (then my mini chef wants it seasoned)
honestly can’t wait until art takes over…..mind you a equipment list was sent for Januarys art lessons.

T1Dmama · 22/11/2023 07:30

Chicken breast seems such a waste in a curry, I always use thigh meat in a curry because its cheaper and has a stronger flavour and is easier to cut into smaller chunks.

Next weeks… maybe try cooking it at home? Then let the school know you think it’s wrong and came out awful at home or whatever…. & send a picture.

eople at my daughters school moan about lack of time… they have cookery in a single period and an hour isn’t long enough … apparently by the time they’ve prepared everything there isn’t time to cook it.. my friends son was the only one to complete it and that was because they chopped everything at home the night before and he had to do was throw it in and cook. (& that’s GCSE)… how can they even grade them on it if they run out of time?! It’s crazy….

sueelleker · 22/11/2023 08:09

T1Dmama; one year, my cookery class was the last period of the day. I'll never forget the mess after we had to put buttercream on still-warm cupcakes! (My school didn't cook practical things)