Upper Sixth ‘Stay Dine With Me’ Challenge: a great success!
Off the back of our successful ‘Come Dine With Me’ competition in 2019, Head of Sixth Form Mr James Bamforth and Head of General Studies Mr Jack Sims joined forces to create a suitable cooking challenge for the current times. As a result, ‘Stay Dine With Me’ was devised as a suitable motivational cooking challenge for members of the Upper Sixth.
Students were asked to prepare a meal for their family on a specific date and were given their weekly General Studies lesson for preparation. They were required to film sections of the following: preparation of ingredients, cooking the meal, and a family member’s honest reaction, all within a time frame of just 2 minutes!
‘After many excellent entries, the competition was fierce,’ said Mr Sims. ‘We had students making a range of tasty meals, from a pork escalope sandwich, to even a bread and butter sandwich, … ’
Following careful judging by Housemasters and Housemistresses, a short-list was created. The House winners were: Roger (Hesperus), Luca (Harbinger), Henry (Macquarie), Daisy (St George), Georgia (Illawarra), Georgie (Illawarra, Highly Commended), and Alex (Port Jackson).
Mr Sims said: ‘Mr Bamforth and I then spent the best part of an afternoon watching these entries, looking for any hidden culinary talent that might be lurking and arguing about which were our favourite dishes. Eventually, we decided upon the following: Roger, winner, and Georgia and Henry, runners-up.
‘Of course, there were also some fantastic entries that did not make it through Round One, particularly in those Houses (such as, Illawarra) with many entries. In the end, however, it was the raw talent of Roger’s pizza-making that ultimately won the prize!’
‘This event is excellent preparation for next year, when the majority of these students will be at university. The need to be able to cook is an essential qualification they must pass, if they are not to succumb to Domino’s Pizza takeaway and the like!’
One parent said: ‘Fantastic initiative! We all had a lovely evening on the back of it.’ Another said: ‘The most relaxed Friday night yet. Can you arrange it for once a month?!’
Well done and thank you, all, for creating a fabulous competition.
