Jubilee parties a great opportunity to get kids cooking

Jubilee parties a great opportunity to get kids cooking

24th May 2012

There is just over a week to go before the country starts celebrating the accession of Queen Elizabeth to the throne with barbecues, village fetes and other such get-togethers.

So what will you be doing over the four-day weekend? And will you be getting your children involved? If you're planning to throw a party, it could be a great opportunity to get your little ones busy in the kitchen and boost their enthusiasm for cooking and baking.

As chef Annabel Karmel explains, part of the fun of throwing a street party or similar gathering is in the preparation, especially if you turn it into an activity that brings everyone together.

She suggested asking children to bake cupcakes and setting up a table where they can decorate the treats by hand using icing and other edible embellishments. You could even turn it into a competition, with prizes for the most beautiful creations.

Of course it doesn't have to stop at cupcakes. Kids can make salads and sandwiches, fun dishes like crown-shaped cookies or an impressive Union Jack Battenberg.

"A street part is a good opportunity to get your child to learn how to cook if they have not cooked before, because there is this whole thing about getting cooking back into the national curriculum," said Ms Karmel.

"For me it starts at home. Kids love to make things that other people try. They are going to be really excited about making something that is going to be on the table for the street party."

Dressing up can also help kids feel involved. Let them don aprons for children and chefs hats, or allow them to serve their creations to partygoers on their very own platters.

They can help with decorating too, by hanging Union Jack bunting and laying tables, and with the clearing up, as long as you make it fun. Get into the Olympic spirit with a special Clean-Up Games, with events like tablecloth folding and litter picking races.

Ready, set, go!
 

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