Surfside Primary School’s 75 grade six students put their Master Chef hats on this week.
Part of the Ocean Grove school’s kitchen garden program, the Master Chef competition is a culmination of four years of work by the students, who start learning about food and cooking in grade three.
The students start learning in grade three and it all culminates in a Master Chef day that finishes off their primary school culinary tuition.
This year’s theme was Australian Indigenous ingredients and students prepared dishes such as Torres Strait Island fried scones, warrigal greens and saltbush risotto, anise myrtle damper and savoury muffins with a lemon myrtle butter.
Kitchen specialist Fleur Kilpatrick said while it was sad that the students had finished their culinary tuition at the school, the initiative had given them life skills.
“They love it,” she said.
“They gain culinary skills, but they work in teams and each have a go at being the leader.
“They learn teamwork and problem solving and just appreciate a lot of different flavours. We do lots of multicultural baking and cooking.”
The judging panel, which included principal Peter Walsh, were impressed with the students’ dishes.
