It was a bit of a chilli day!

It was batch cook day! 

The children had to do their little tradition of sitting in the stock pot to check they could still fit in (the size of it fascinates them).

Mummy was the main pot wash, cleaning the pot out. Chef Daddy set up the kitchen for the chilli batch cook day. Sophia was sous chef by her Daddy's side. Kira and Xander were the official taste testers. 

The arduous task of cooking 8kg of beef and pork mince began. Slowly the pot began to fill up, each cooked batch was added to the main stock pot from frying pans on the go. It is a right military maneuver.

The taste testers had their bowls at the ready to check the cooked mince. Three bowls worth sealed their approval, while the chef was anxiously checking over his shoulder how much mince was left, after the onslaught, whilst opening a dozen tins of tomatoes and kidney beans ready to start the sauce. The frozen blocks of homemade chicken stock were at the ready, alongside the dozens of other ingredients. 

Eight hours later the process was finished and the children were tucking into the official finished dish for their tea. We have four months worth portioned up in the freezer, added to the bolognese and pit beans already there. Tomato soup is next on the list, although no matter how big a stock pot we use, we fly through portions as it's so popular. 

In terms of teaching, the children were learning about ingredients, nutrition, the physical prep work for the dish in question, kitchen skills, and the art of seasoning meat and sauces. 

Sophia writes out the labels for the containers. They help take the tins out to the recycling bin. They gain an appreciation of the work which lies behind their diet and providing them with food which is trigger free and is yummy!