Cookery in schools is an opportunity to educate in nutrition, food hygiene, and kitchen safety. However, its potential in aiding cultural and language learning was not lost on New Hall School’s Modern Languages Department. Armed with an array of their favourite recipes, teachers took to the drawing board, developing lessons packed with experiential language learning and practical vocabulary use. In specialised Modern Languages Cookery lessons, cultural experience combines with the culinary arts for an innovative approach towards learning French, Spanish and Chinese. All lessons are taught entirely in the target language, for the full immersion experience. New Hall’s brilliant initiative was recognised in the Muddy Stilettos Best Schools Awards in the category of ‘Best Experiential Learning’, making it the only Essex school to win an award in this year’s competition. With over 500 schools entering in 2024, the awards run by Muddy Stilettos lifestyle platform and magazine are judged by a panel of headteachers and educational experts seeking out not only the best practice, but the most innovative and trend-setting projects in education.
It was an exciting time for aspiring chefs and linguists alike when New Hall opened a brand-new second Cookery Room this academic year, with twelve workstations accommodating up to 20 students, each complete with a 4-piece induction hob, an oven, and full-crockery set. New Hall’s pioneering experiential culinary, language and culture lessons are woven seamlessly into the Modern Languages curriculum. They certainly add a delicious twist to the timetable, with Year 7 classes having fortnightly lessons, and other year groups currently enjoying lessons coinciding with important dates or celebrations. Chefs joined together to make dumplings for Chinese New Year, according to their teacher’s secret family recipe, while French students packed the Cookery Room for Mardi Gras, learning about Francophone traditions from around the world through the delicious medium of crêpes. A weekly Spanish Cookery Club allows students to create delicious treats and learn about the story behind each recipe, travelling the Hispanophone world one tapa at a time.
The idea was the brainchild of Mrs Katherine Jeffrey, Principal of New Hall School and life-long Francophile. Mrs Jeffrey has been delighted at the success of the programme, recognised in the Muddy’s Awards: “The response to this style of learning has exceeded all expectations – students are engaged and enthusiastic. They have made exceptional progress in their language learning, culinary skills and cultural appreciation. This has got to be the most fun that can be had learning a new language! We hope the success of this award-winning original initiative sets a new example of language teaching practice across the education sector, helping to reverse the downward national trend in modern languages.”
This year, New Hall’s language trips to France and Spain were completely filled in each year group, from Year 7 to Year 13. A testament to the success of the initiative, dozens of happy students reported successfully cooking with their host families, finding it easy to ‘passer le poivre’ [fr. pass the pepper] or ‘corta el pan’ [es. cut the bread], even practising their newly acquired culinary vocabulary while ordering in the local restaurants.
We certainly agree that ‘a way to a person’s heart is through their stomach’ – at New Hall School, the award-winning experiential learning through cookery develops a love of language, culture, and many delicious new meals. To lovers of both languages and the culinary arts, they say, ‘Bienvenue et bon appétit!’
Categories: New Hall School School News
