AHDB Potatoes is targeting young caterers through a new educational initiative that aims to teach students how to prep, cook and serve potatoes.
The new website completes the trio of educational resources from AHDB Potatoes, expanding its reach from primary and secondary schoolchildren into further education.
Launched this month, the Prep, Cook, Serve Potatoes online resource is free of charge to all colleges and universities. It aims to enhance potato-based dish repertoires, as well as meet the needs of catering and hospitality courses, through an extensive recipe bank, advice on essential preparation and cooking skills.
Other resources, including maps, information videos and PowerPoint slides, cover modules including Health and Nutrition, Farming, Sustainability and Varieties.
Sue Lawton, education co-ordinator at AHDB Potatoes, said: “On the back of our existing educational projects – Grow Your Own Potatoes and Cook Your Own Potatoes – we identified a real need for additional further education support, particularly in light of the removal of food technology at A Level.
Lawton said the new site, prepcookservepotatoes.org.uk, was developed following research with four colleges to explore their requirements and design a framework.
“It is a deliberately flexible toolkit, allowing colleges the opportunity to select components and build a scheme of work to meet the specific needs of their courses and students,” she said. “This will grow over time as part of our rolling research and feedback programme to ensure new resources match the needs, expectations and wish-lists of colleges.
“Despite the fact that potatoes are integral to menus, caterers are not aware of the many varieties available and their different tastes and textures. We believe that prepcookservepotatoes.org.uk will help the next generation of chefs develop the skills and understanding to prepare and serve a wide range of potato-based dishes and ensure they remain at the heart of the nation’s diet.”
The Cook Your Own Potatoes project website cookyourownpotatoes.org.uk has also been revamped to improve navigation and accessibility, while Grow Your Own Potatoes now engages with 400,000 children annually.
In addition, AHDB’s promotional vehicle has had a makeover to make it more entertaining and relevant for children. It will be at numerous education events and county shows, and remains available for industry to hire, the organisation said.
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