Interview: A Cookery Class With A Difference
This week we are talking to Rebecca Rutherford who is founder of MunchKids. A new cookery class for small kids (suitable for ages 2–4). You can find MunchKid classes in Holywood and Malone. These classes introduce kids to the joy of creating the food we eat and giving them responsibility for their own nourishment. These classes are also great for those parents who aren’t great cooks themselves and it gives their kid a lifelong skill from an early age. I can’t wait to try out this class for myself and my little girl. It looks like so much fun!
What made you start MunchKids (love the name)?
I have two children, a four year old boy and a two year old girl. Food has always been a central part of my life — as a child, I always loved how our extended family would come together to have a meal and my parents, whilst not really adventurous cooks, always brought friends and family together around the table. At University I became interested in cooking, and the positive effects that good food and nutrition can have. I have also inherited my parents’ love of entertaining and I love nothing more than a gathering of my loved ones round my own table!
When I had my own children, I wanted to make sure that they were getting all the important nutrients that they need to grow. I am acutely aware that body image, for both boys and girls, can be difficult and I want to make sure that from an early age that food was perceived positively. I try not to force my kids to eat anything they don’t want to, and we talk a lot about how food helps them to grow and be strong, run fast, give them energy to play more etc! The kitchen is the heart of our home, so as soon as they could stand I have been involving my kids in ‘helping’ cook whatever is on the menu. I have found that they are much more likely to try food that they have helped to create!
MunchKids was a natural progression from what I was already doing at home and friends encouraged me to take it a step forward and create a business cooking with other small children. Also, my dad passed away suddenly last year — he was always the life and soul of every party and led a very full and interesting life, and I wanted to honour his legacy and ‘seize the day’ a bit more so I decided that nothing ventured was nothing gained!
What will parents and kids expect from the class?
Our classes are really laid back and fun! Each week we have a theme, and then we read a story, sing songs, make some tasty morsels and do some crafts all relating to the theme! The aim is to get the children to use ingredients and kitchen tools with confidence, and to try new foods in an environment where their peers are doing the same. I use Early Years schema to make sure that we are covering a broad range of developmental skills. Also, we are introducing the concept of sharing food with friends, and the sociability of food.
Do you promote healthy eating/lifestyle in your class?
I am a firm believer in introducing a wide variety of foods to children at a young age. I have developed the recipes for the classes to ensure that they cover a range of savoury and sweet foods, and where we make sweet foods I have tried to ensure that portion sizes are appropriate and where possible the sugar content is as low or complex as possible. Above all, the aim of the classes is to introduce children to an understanding of what goes in to the food that they eat!
We have a huge obesity problem in NI and our kids are suffering because of it. How can we — as a population — do something about it? Should the government be doing more to help people get educated on healthy food?
I think that ‘educated’ is exactly the right word — marketing companies make it very easy for our children to know about fizzy drinks and sugary snacks and time-strapped parents are confused by what exactly is in the food that we are buying. Unfortunately it is often cheaper to buy processed food than to buy the ingredients to make the same dish from scratch. I also think that children aren’t being taught about cooking, food and nutrition at a young enough age — something I’m trying to help change!
Tell me what is happening at MunchKids. Any future events/classes etc.?
Yes — we’re nearing the end of our first term which has been fantastic fun! A new term of five classes starts in late February [at the time of writing there are only a few spaces left so please contact Rebecca if you are interested]and more information can be found on our Facebook page. I’m also looking at new venues to expand the locations for classes later in the year… Exciting times ahead!
A huge thank you to Rebecca from MunchKids for agreeing to be interviewed. You can also find MunchKids on Instagram. Rebecca has been kind enough to offer two classes to one winner to her Holywood class to us. So exciting! Read on for more details…
Would you like to try out a couple of MunchKids classes? Check out my competition for two taster classes at MunchKids in Holywood Old School for Friday 16th and 23rd March 2018 classes @ 09.45am. Please check out my Facebook page for details and terms & conditions. Whoever wins is in for a treat! The winner will be announced on Thursday 1st March 2018 at midday GMT. If you don’t win, never fear, keep an eye out for future competitions coming up very soon! Good luck :-D
