Cooking on a budget courses are really popular and useful, helping with independent living skills, budgeting and basic food hygiene. They are fun too. As a participant reports…
Come Dine With Me – Dean Street!
We had a Come Dine With Me day at the Dean Street project. We decided as a group who would cook each course. Once we had decided who was cooking what, we began to plan and look at costs. We were all given a budget, the starter was £3.50, main course was £10.00 and the pudding was £6.50. Each team checked out the cost of their ingredients online, to make sure we stayed within our budget.
Menu
Starter – Carrot and Coriander soup with croutons
Main – Hickory chicken with honey roasted vegetables
Trio of Desserts – Malteser cheesecake with a raspberry coulis, chocolate brownie and meringue
When we checked the prices we went out to the local shops and also to the market. We then headed back to the project and started to cook. We decided the team preparing the desserts were to start cooking first, as there was a lot of preparation and also a cheesecake to set in the fridge. Once the puddings were complete the work began on the main course.
The chicken was marinated in the hickory sauce and the vegetables were glazed in honey.
Whilst the main was cooking, work began on the starter. Once the vegetables were prepared and the soup was simmering on the hob, stomachs began to grumble with the delicious smells coming from the kitchen.
The table was set and the meals were ready to be served. The starter was delicious, the croutons added a lovely texture to the soup.
The main course was cooked to perfection, the chicken was moist and the vegetables tasted amazing.
The desserts were brought to the table and everyone agreed that they looked fab and tasted wonderful!
Once the kitchen was cleaned and dishes put away it was time to vote. We all awarded points for each course, in secret and the numbers were added up.
We sat together to find out the results, the main and the pudding were joint 1st. The winners were presented with Pudding Parlour treats.
It was fun to take part and a wonderful day. Everyone served a delicious course which everyone enjoyed.
