Gosport pupils pay tribute to NHS in teacher's YouTube cake bake off
GOSPORT children have been baking tribute cakes for the NHS and learning to cook for their families thanks to cookery lessons being brought into their kitchens via a teacher’s own YouTube channel.
Bay House School’s food and nutrition teacher, Richard Bloxsom, launched his own channel to enable pupils in lockdown to continue learning about food and develop their cooking skills through his practical demonstrations.
Richard said: ‘It’s important that children keep up with their learning so that when they return to school they have not fallen too far behind. Hopefully lessons will help them to also make food for the whole family.’
The lessons, which are also accessed by children from Brune Park Community School, have seen the children baking a range of foods to tantalise the taste buds including sausage rolls, hot cross buns and Bakewell tarts.
Each week, pupils are set a baking challenge which recently culminated in a competition to make tribute cakes for the NHS.
Students, Brooke Smith, 13, and Amy Sanders, 17, took joint first place after sending through videos and photographs of their winning cakes.
Amy, who had produced a layered cake which once cut open spelt out NHS, commented: ‘I am grateful for the competition because although baking is something that I love to do anyway, it has been extra motivation to do something productive during lockdown.
‘My family and neighbours were particularly surprised at my hidden cake design as a thank you to the NHS and key workers.’
Brooke, who created an extravagant multilayered rainbow sponge cake, added: ‘I made a cheerful rainbow cake to show my respect and thanks to the NHS for the work they’re doing.’
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Once schools return, the two students are to be presented with chefs jackets emblazoned with their names. Other designs included individual cakes spelling out NHS and a giant chocolate brownie decorated with a thank you message.
Richard has also been providing practical advice on how to cook without some of the ingredients which are currently in short supply on supermarket shelves.
‘There’s currently a lack of flour and yeast in the shops and so one of the sessions covers how to make sourdough bread,’ he said.