Free resources to develop learners' confidence and skills in the kitchen

We are excited to share free cooking and meal preparation resources (web pdf 3.5MB) aimed at developing learners’ skills and knowledge in the kitchen. The resources have been inspired by our popular FoodWise Short Course, which accredits cooking-related activities for young people of all abilities.

Our free resource pack aims to support learners aged 13–19 (Entry 3 to Level 1) and includes fun and practical challenges designed to:

develop learners’ understanding of healthy eating and wellbeing
demonstrate cooking skills and techniques
emphasise the importance of sustainability and cooking on a budget

From learning how to cook healthy one-pot meals and creating meal plans, to learning about the history of food and organising a fundraiser, our free resources give learners the opportunity to improve their cooking skills and knowledge and consider food diaries, nutritional value templates and recipe planners.

The resource pack includes challenges from ASDAN’s FoodWise Short Course, which aims to help learners develop practical cooking skills, as well as personal, social and work-related skills.

Laura Bryan, a Teacher at Stirling Inclusion Support Service for learners with emotional, social and behavioral needs, delivers the course to her pupils. “Our learners are currently working through Module 7: Practical cooking skills, which allows them to build their skills in cookery, while developing their confidence in the kitchen,” says Laura.

“There is great flexibility in what we can cook through the course, which helps us keep it relevant for our learners. They are now proficient in using the traffic light system on food packaging to inform them of the sugar content of food. Our learners are benefiting greatly from completing their FoodWise challenges, and we would certainly recommend the course,” says Laura.

Dave Gillingham, former Chef and currently a Teacher at Headlands School, an independent day and residential special school in Penarth, also delivers the FoodWise Short Course to learners in Years 12, 13 and 14 for two hours each week.

“The students have gained lots of essential skills through the course,” says Dave. “When they leave school, they often go into supported living or into a flat for the first time with no parental support. This means they need cooking skills that will enable them to live well. The beauty of the FoodWise Short Course is that it can be differentiated to cater for the needs of all the learners. FoodWise meets the needs of a wide range of abilities thanks to the flexibility of the challenges.

A FoodWise Short Course student makes jam at Headlands School, while another works on creating a food nutrition label

“You can do so many activities that do not involve cooking itself and this helps it appeal to a wide range of learners. You don’t even need a kitchen to deliver this course.

“I would 100% recommend this course to others. It’s my favourite of the 30 or so ASDAN Short Courses available.”

Teacher and former chef Dave Gillingham inspires his learners to develop cooking skills and food knowledge

ASDAN’s FoodWise Short Course forms part of a series of Short Courses designed to accredit activities and skills development across a range of topics and curriculum areas. Short Courses are widely used in formal and non-formal settings, mainly by learners aged 13–19. As they are multi-level, the focus is on completing challenges and skills development according to individual ability, rather than attainment at a specific level.

To let us know what you think of our resource pack and to share any activities you deliver with your learners, please tag us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

More free activities

Have you seen our free environmental activities resource pack? Read our recent blog on how you can inspire young people to care for the environment through fun, practical and engaging activities.

Get in touch if you’d like to find out more about our courses.