LMC launches annual school cookery demos

Ian Stevenson, LMC Chief Executive, pictured with Mrs Lisa Donnan, Home Economics teacher and pupils from Friends School, Lisburn during this years launch of LMCs post-primary school cookery demonstrations

This year’s demonstrations, which officially began in September, will be running until March 2019 and during that time, 330 demonstrations will be delivered to post-primary school pupils from across Northern Ireland.

Carried out by a team of nine qualified demonstrators, the aim of the initiative is to show pupils quick, simple and tasty ways they can cook beef and lamb while educating them on the benefits of eating red meat as part of a healthy balanced diet.

Cherrie Kenny, LMC’s Education Services Manager said: “We have been running these post-primary school beef and lamb cookery demonstrations since 1999 and every year since then they have surged in popularity. Between September this year and March 2019, we will carry out a total of 330 cookery demonstrations at a number of post-primary schools across Northern Ireland.

“The aim of these cookery demonstrations is to help educate young people on the merits of eating beef and lamb and in the process show them how they can re-create our quick and simple recipes.

“LMC’s Northern Ireland Beef and Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (NIBL FQAS) has recently been added to the school syllabus meaning that GCSE and A-Level pupils now have the opportunity to learn about traceability, provenance and sustainability.

“This year we have also created 20 exciting new beef and lamb recipes which are available on our website.”

LMC Chief Executive Ian Stevenson added: “Our post-primary school cookery demonstrations, which have been running for almost 19 years, are an integral part of the work that LMC carries out.

“Down through the years, a large proportion of LMC’s work has been dedicated to educating not only the general public about the benefits of consuming beef and lamb, but in particular the younger generations and Home Economics teachers. Our ever popular post-primary school cookery demonstrations are an essential part of that education.

“The addition of the NIBL FQAS to the school curriculum is a very positive step and will go a long way to benefitting the wider industry by developing an understanding and an appreciation of how our high quality beef and lamb goes from farm to fork.”

Mrs Judith McCarthy, Head of Home Economics at Friends’ Schools said: “We were delighted to welcome LMC to our school this week.

“We have enjoyed the support of LMC for many years and the cookery demonstrations complement the current Food and Nutrition syllabus. Our pupils find it really useful and enjoy the experience.”

Visit: www.food4life.org.uk for a range of educational resources.