The anticipation in my household has been palpable for the last week now. My son and I were given the opportunity to cook with kiwi chef Al Brown as part of the Persil initiative “Kiwi Kids Have a Go in the Kitchen”…
Anna goes downtown to Auckland Fish Markets to cook whitebait fritters with chef Al Brown for the “Kiwi Kids Have a Go in the Kitchen” campaign initiated by Persil…
The anticipation in my household has been palpable for the last week now. My son and I were given the opportunity to cook with kiwi chef Al Brown as part of the Persil initiative “Kiwi Kids Have a Go in the Kitchen”, and Noah (age 4) could not contain his excitement.
You see he has grown up on Al Brown’s Hunger for the Wild DVD series (courtesy of his Dad), and from a very young age would much rather watch a episode on whitebaiting or shooting hares than sit down to view the Wiggles or the like. That coupled with his love of cooking and we have a match made in heaven!
We set off to the Auckland Fish Market kitchens with Noah’s friend Cassidy (age 5), the kids in the car giddy with excitement. And Al Brown and the Persil team did not disappoint my budding chef/hunter!
We starting by sitting around a workbench listening to Al Brown discuss food, kids and the campaign which he is fronting, engaging both the adults and the children. Al Brown talked about his concerns that we are getting further and further away from the kitchen, and instead living vicariously through the multitude of food shows on TV.
He stressed the importance of kids learning where there food has come from, telling us how much fun gathering food from the wild was and likened it to “collecting treasures”. “Gathering food also is a great way for families to spend time together”, he says.
While talking with us he demonstrated making Tuatua fritters and then sent us off to our respective stations to have a go ourselves.
The kids got stuck in pulling the tuatuas out of shells, cracking eggs, mixing and whisking, making the “glue” (fritter batter) all the while being overseen by their parents and the interactive Al, who came round to each station to chat with the kids and help them with their cooking.
The finished product was absolutely delish, devoured by kids and adults alike.
My tribe left with all their expectations met in spades – Al Brown had said that “cooking is the coolest thing in the world”, and I think at that point my kids felt the same!
The “Kiwi Kids Have a Go in the Kitchen” campaign has been initiated by the launch of the new Persil with the power of pre-treaters.
“Persil are huge advocates of play and learning through experience – we believe that by encouraging kids to have a go at cooking, we will help them learn new skills, build confidence and develop healthy eating habits”, explains Persil Marketing Manager Sacha Mayberry.
Kids can upload images or a video of themselves having a go to www.persilhaveago.co.nz for the chance to win a trip to Wellington with seven family or friends and guest star in a cooking show with Brown.
By Anna Sutcliffe, 3 August 2010.
Leave a Reply