A COOKERY workshop for children at the Learning Hub Limerick is promoting the teaching of culinary and social skills in a friendly, relaxed environment.
The Mood Food Collective workshops are run by Lisa Watters, Art Co-ordinator at the Learning Hub Limerick and holder of an MA in Social Practice in the Creative Environment from Limerick School of Art and Design.
The Mood Food Collective was borne out of O2’s Think Big summer project and, as Lisa explains, that has enabled her to put her passion for cooking to very good use.
“The workshops are a branch-off from my Eating Knowledge project from college, where I researched food branding and teaching children to use food branding around their wellbeing.
“The children then use mood-enhancing ingredients in the workshops. They cook so many different types of food and they talk about the food they are making.”
Lisa has plentiful experience as a commis chef in Sligo and recently finished a six-week online Nutrition, Health and Lifestyle course. She has completed an undergraduate course in Graphic Design.
She believes that her friendly teaching methods help to generate a positive, relaxed mood in the Mood Food Collective workshops and that the children react accordingly.
“The Learning Hub is very interactive and the classes take place in a relaxed atmosphere. There’s plenty of laughter in the workshops and I’m not at all strict; we just have the craic.
“The children cook, eat and share their creations and then they go around taking about them and this really boosts their confidence. It’s a great experience for them to look at the foods they eat and cook them from scratch.
“Most of the children are aged between 11 and 13, although I have worked with younger than that. I noticed that, even as young as seven, they are well capable of cooking and that probably comes from TV programmes such as Junior Masterchef which are very popular.”
Lisa’s extensive studies and experience have enabled her to identify a strong correlation between healthy eating and a positive morale.
“The children and I looked at foods such as coconuts, dark chocolate and various fruit and vegetables which contain ingredients that are scientifically proven to boost your mood.
“We learn about how the right type of food can boost your mood. By all means eat sweets and snacks but if you have them every day, you’ll begin to feel unwell and you won’t be as energetic.”
