Food and Nutrition

Curriculum Statement

Food and Nutrition, is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. It is the study of the quality, safety and nutritional purposes of foods. This subject aims to give pupils knowledge and science skills needed to understand food processes and meet society’s demands for safe and sustainable food products. Students will be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking that will open the door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook being a crucial life skill that will enable students to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.

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Year 7

Students will learn how to apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Students will be introduced to the Eat Well Guide, food and its nutritional value, and health and safety when preparing and making food. Students will learn the importance of hygiene and the potential hazards when working in the technical area. Students will prepare and cook a variety of dishes incorporating theoretical understanding and knowledge: Fruit salad, Healthy Pizzas Toast, Christmas Shortbreads, Chicken Goujons, Dutch Apple Cake, Savoury Tarts, Cheese Scones, Healthy Energy Bar.

Terms 1 and 2
In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: understanding food safety and hygiene, practical application of knife skills, basic nutrition/Eat Well Guide and how foods are linked to diet.

In practical lesson students will focus on developing knife skills and baking methods. Students will use their cutting skill to make a fruit salad. They will learn about enzymic browning. They will follow healthy and safety rules to prepare and grill a healthy pizza toast, the oven, to safely bake Christmas shortbreads.

Terms 3 and 4
In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: measuring ingredients and using the correct measuring tool, they will be introduced to cross-contamination, bacteria, temperature control and the danger zone.

In practical lesson students will focus using new pieces of equipment safely. They will develop healthy food choices, baking chicken goujons instead of frying them. They will be introduced to the creaming method and bake a Dutch Apple Cake. They will prepare pastry and bake savoury tartlets. 

Terms 5 and 6
In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: experimenting with ingredients to enhance flavour, how to implement quality checks when baking scones. They will design a handheld lunch product.

In practical lesson students will focus on developing baking skills. They will learn how to make scones and the importance of quality control. Students will use the melting method to produce a healthy energy bar. They will make their handheld lunch product.

Year 8

Students will learn how to apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Students will be using the Eat Well Guide, to gain an understanding of food and its nutritional value. Students will follow health and safety rules when preparing and making food. They will learn the importance of hygiene and the potential hazards when working in the technical area. Students will build on skills and knowledge from year 7. They will prepare and cook a variety of dishes incorporating theoretical understanding and knowledge: Vegetable Couscous, Homemade Burger and Flatbread, Chocolate Mousse, Scone-based Pizza, Macaroni Cheese, Viennese Fingers.

Terms 1 and 2
In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: food preparation, following a recipe, identifying the main macro/micro nutrients and the Eat Well Guide. They will build on their knowledge and skill learnt in year 7. They will develop an understanding of: micronutrients and where they are found and their benefits, macronutrients – protein and how it benefits the body.

In practical lesson students will consider: presentation skills when making their vegetable couscous, how to work accurately and safely when preparing a burger and flatbread. They will also bake Christmas shortbreads

Terms 3 and 4
In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: converting US measurement to UK measurement (metric). They will develop an understanding of carbohydrates as a staple food– types of flour, which flour is best for pastry, bread, pasta? Students will explore what happens when starch is heated (gelatinisation).

In practical lesson students will follow a scone-based pizza recipe, kneading and shaping dough to make a pizza. They will make a roux as a basis for their macaroni cheese. Students will use a Bain-marie to melt chocolate and a hand mixer to whisk egg whites for their chocolate mousse.

Terms 5 and 6
In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: Fair Trade and the history if food production. They will discover where and how halloumi is made and it benefits in relation to the Eat Well Guide. Students will explore seasonal foods, food miles, and how to minimise food waste.

In practical lesson students will decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients. They will prepare a marinate for their halloumi and vegetable kebab, which they will grill. Students will use seasonal foods to bake a Pastie.

Year 9

Students will learn how to apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Students will be using the Eat Well Guide, to gain a deeper understanding of food and its nutritional value. Students will follow health and safety rules when preparing and making food. Students will learn the importance of hygiene and the potential hazards when working in the technical area. Students will prepare and cook a variety of dishes incorporating theoretical understanding and knowledge: Fruit Crumble, Shortbreads, Chicken Fajitas, Bread rolls, Acapulco Rice, Cheese Tarts, Alternative curry, Pineapple Upside-down cake

 Terms 1 and 2
In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: cross-contamination and bacteria, how to prepare raw chicken safely, quality control and portion size. They will research international and British cuisines – why do different cultures eat different foods? They will develop an understanding of staple foods.

In practical lesson students will use seasonal food to bake a crumble. They will prepare and cook chicken safely for chicken fajita dish. They will apply quality and portion control to their batch of Christmas shortbreads.

Terms 3 and 4
In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: food choices. They will think about their choice of food. Students will consider different factors: stage of life, time of day, likes/dislikes, religion, culture, cost. They will discover the benefits of rice as a staple produce, where it is grown and how it is harvested.

In practical lesson students will bake soda bread rolls, produce a tasty international rice dish and bake a batch of cheese straws.

Terms 5 and 6
In theory lessons Students will develop skills and knowledge in: where our food comes from – food provenance, environmental issues, food waste, food mile, alternative protein, food labelling, allergies and intolerances. They will learn how to preserve foods that are grown locally.

In practical lesson students will prepare a curry dish, with rice using an alternative protein. They will combine ingredients to make an all-in-one cake using fresh, tinned or frozen fruit.

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Year 10

In year 10 students begin their GCSE course. Students will study: food commodities, principles of nutrition, diet and good health, the science of food, where food comes from, cooking and food preparation. Each term will explore a different commodity.

Practical lessons will focus on building a range of skills ranging from complex meat and fish cookery to pasta and pastry making. 

Terms 1 and 2

1. In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: fruit and vegetables, including potatoes.
2. In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: milk, cheese, and yoghurt.

Practical lessons will focus on building a range of skills: apple crumble and enzymic browning, pineapple upside-down cake, cauliflower and broccoli cheese, vegetable soup, pear chutney, fruit scones.

Practical lessons will focus on building a range of skills: panna cotta, homemade butter, rice pudding, potato and goats cheese frittata, quiche.

Terms 3 and 4

3. In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: cereals – including flour, breakfast cereals, bread and pasta.
4. In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: meat, fish, poultry, eggs.

Practical lessons will focus on building a range of skills: bread rolls, focaccia bread, risotto, spinach and ricotta ravioli (making fresh pasta), chicken and leak pie.

Practical lessons will focus on building a range of skills: portioning a chicken, chicken Kiev, chicken curry and rice, fish cakes, meringues (Eaton mess), egg custard tarts.

Terms 5 and 6
In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: butter, oils, margarine, sugar and syrup.

In theory lessons students will develop skills and knowledge in: soya, tofu, beans, nuts and seeds.

Practical lessons will focus on building a range of skills: hollandaise sauce, French dressing, Victoria sandwich decorated with fresh whipped cream, Swiss roll, fresh fruit tart with crème pâtisserie. 

Practical lessons will focus on building a range of skills: tofu and coconut milk curry and rice, vegetable and bean casserole, spaghetti Quorn bolognaise, seeded bread rolls, sunflower and pumpkin seed flapjack, lentil and nut roast.

Year 11

In the final year of the GCSE students will complete their Non-Exam Assessment, which is worth 50% of their final grade. NEA 1 begins in September and has a focus on Food Investigation. NEA 2 begins in December and has a focus on Food Preparation. The remainder of the year will be focused towards preparation for the written exam.

Terms 1 and 2

1. In theory lessons students will recap on key principles of how to conduct NEA – research methods, hypothesis setting, plan of action, writing up an experiment, analysis results of experiment and drawing conclusions.
2. In theory lessons students will carry out their NEA assessment
3. In practical lesson students will undertake a range of practical lessons, focusing on a specific commodity.
4. In practical lessons students will carry out their NEA assessment

Terms 3 and 4
In theory lessons students will recap on key principles of how to conduct NEA – research methods, plan of action, justifying choices, time plan, evaluation, including sensory analysis.

In practical lesson students will undertake trails and select their final dishes. They will undertake a three-hour practical exam

Terms 5 and 6
Revision – in theory and practical lessons students will develop their exam skills in answering the written paper

Qualification
GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition – Exam board EDUQAS
https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/food-preparation-and-nutrition-gcse

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For further information please contact Miss K Sztyber, ksztyber@sflt.org.uk