Familiar Ingredients, New Flavours: An August Gathering of “Oleina for Children. Cooking with Love”
On 9 August, participants in Oleina for Children. Cooking with Love returned for a masterclass. With a chef, the children prepared seasonal dishes, explored new flavour combinations and learnt recipes they can recreate at home.
How can an everyday courgette become a restaurant-style dish? Or watermelon and mint turn into a refreshing summer drink? On 9 August, participants in the “Oleina for Children. Cooking with Love” project returned to the Yevhen Chernukha Culinary School to discover new ways of using familiar seasonal ingredients.
This time, the menu featured:
- Amatriciana-style courgettes;
- Orange Chicken with bright citrus flavours;
- dark chocolate and nut tart;
- watermelon and mint lemonade.
Working alongside the chef, the children prepared ingredients, made sauces, fried, mixed and plated their dishes. Step by step, simple ingredients became a complete restaurant-style menu, prepared together from start to finish.
This is what makes these cooking sessions special. They are a chance to learn something new, try recipes the children have not made before, help one another and enjoy the result of working together. The recipes they learn at the culinary school can also be recreated at home for family and friends.
The “Oleina for Children. Cooking with Love” project is now in its third year. With the ongoing support of Oleina, children under the care of the Children of Heroes Charity Fund regularly take part in cooking masterclasses where they can learn new skills, meet and spend time with others, and explore cooking as a space for creativity and connection.
