The cycle of planting, growing and harvesting culminates in the kitchen.

Here, students make delicious dishes from the fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit they have grown. To be part of a kitchen class is to develop a heightened awareness of food – where it comes from, how it’s grown, the sensory nuances of taste, smell and texture, and the adventure and fun involved in experimenting.

Kitchen classes are also practical – students fire up stoves, measure, chop, time the various preparation stages, set the table and clean up their workstations.

Several recipes are prepared, enabling variety in the menu, with learners working in small groups supported by adults. As with garden tool licences, students also get the opportunity to earn their knife licence once they’ve mastered safe handling of knives and some basic chopping techniques.

At the end of each kitchen lesson, students, educators and volunteers come together to share and taste their dishes at the table – and then they clean up!