Flour and education

St Michael’s C of E Primary School is the March 2009 winner of a Panasonic breadmaker and a supply of Carrs Breadmaker flour

ST MICHAEL’S C of E Primary School at Dalston devoted an entire week to learning about flour and bread making - and pupils produced some outstanding portfolios.

The Bread Week project between February 2 and 6 didn’t just involve one class, but all 213 pupils aged between 4 and 11 years.

Local baker Dave Moore and former catering boss Colin Mattinson even popped in to pass on some healthy bread secrets.

Head Teacher Stephen Fraser said:

“When we received the free flour from Carrs Breadmaker we thought it would be a good thing to involve everyone.

“It’s important that children know that bread doesn’t just come from a supermarket.

"Bread Week was also about healthy eating and understanding how bread is made and where flour comes from."

Pupils created an astonishing array of breads, from garlic loaves and wholemeal buns to chapattis and pizza bases.

“We then sold the bread to parents and raised about £90 towards school funds,” added Mr Fraser.

Caroline Dale, marketing manager of Carrs Breadmaker, described St Michael’s Bread Week as a ‘terrific project’.

“We actually supply flour to Dalston baker Dave Moore so we were really pleased when we learned that he had volunteered to help with his expertise,” she said.

“The portfolios submitted by the children are excellent and even involve some brilliant critiques of a recipe booklet that I created for customers!

“St Michael’s is a deserved winner.”

Ian Griffiths, product manager at Panasonic UK, was delighted to donate a breadmaker to the school.

“Clearly, everyone at St Michael’s - from the teachers through to the pupils - worked extremely hard to make Bread Week the success it obviously was,” he said.

“From the pictures on the school web site it is obvious just how much fun the pupils had learning about flour and bread making.”

Below are some excerpts from the school childrens' portfolios from the Breadmaking Module (click to view an enlarged image):

Visit www.st-michaels.cumbria.sch.uk to see more photographs of their successful Bread Week.

Each month throughout 2009
Panasonic and Carrs donated a breadmaker and a supply of flour to the school submitting the best portfolio of work.