This week, I had the opportunity to visit Brearley Hall kitchen and spend a wonderful afternoon with the staff and pupils. It was a lovely experience—the atmosphere was calm; the surroundings were beautiful. During my time there, I sat in on one of their weekly cooking classes led by Chef Joel. The class was comprised of four students and one teaching assistant, all of whom were eager to learn how to make pasta from scratch.
The class started off with Chef Joel teaching the students how to cut up a shallot correctly before getting into the main task at hand—stretching out the pasta using a handheld machine. It was fascinating to watch as each student attentively followed along with his instructions and did their best to get it just right! Although their eyes began watering from cutting up the shallots, they never lost focus or gave up on their mission!
Once they finished stretching out their pasta dough, they moved on to making spaghetti, next was frying the shallots and adding the fresh tomato sauce they had in a previous class. Everyone worked together diligently and had nothing but positive things to say about Chef Joel’s teaching style. He made sure that everyone understood what he wanted them to do and provided helpful feedback whenever needed. After all the hard work was done, they each had a box to put their delicious food in to take home.
It’s clear that these weekly cooking classes are having a truly transformative impact on Brearley Hall pupils; not only are they learning how to cook delicious dishes from scratch, but they are also developing important life skills such as teamwork, problem solving, creativity, and self-confidence. What’s more is that all of this is happening in such a peaceful environment surrounded by nature—it’s truly inspiring!
Joel is also offering classes at our other schools Brookland and Riverbank to cater for all our children!
My experience at Brearley Hall kitchen this week has shown me just how powerful hands-on learning can be when it comes to teaching pupils valuable life skills. Not only did I witness first-hand how engaged everyone was during Chef Joel’s class, but I also got a glimpse of what a special place Brearley Hall is for our pupils. It’s clear that this special environment is fostering meaningful connections between teachers and students alike—and that makes it even more special!
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