We are very, very pleased to announce that with the help of lots of companies and organisations across the City – we were able to raise a whopping £43, 290!

A massive thank you to all the companies who got involved and to those who spread the word on Teaching Liverpool to Cook!

It is now time for us to begin planning the main, and most exciting part of the Campaign – the Cooking!

Over the next few weeks we will be organising a city centre launch to kick start our cookery revolution – inviting all those involved (and those who still wish to get involved!) to come along and celebrate the end of our fundraising campaign and the start of our cookery training programme.

We will then work with all the companies involved to organise our corporate cookery and networking sessions and begin to recruit young people from schools, community groups, workplaces and through organisations who have contributed to the campaign. We will then train each young person to cook at least a variety of meals from scratch and give them the skills and enthusiasm they need to carry on cooking for themselves.

We can’t wait to get started!

Keep following us for updates on how the cookery training will roll out and how we are TEACHING LIVERPOOL TO COOK.

The food writer began his quest to ‘eat intelligently’ after his his career in food tasting and writing began to catch up with him – and his waistline!  After warnings from doctors that his job  had began to take effect on his health – Peter knew he had to cut down and start to eat more sensibly.

Easier said than done, for some.

Peter himself claims ”For a change in diet to succeed, it must be at least as satisfying as the unheathful fast food and processed ingredients that it replaces” – something which is hard to imagine when cutting down or trying to diet.

But Peter claims there is another way to diet, and still feel satisfied. To do this you must eat foods that maximise Flavour Per Calorie (FPC) – in short, cook with the very best ingredients you can get. By eating foods with the most flavour per calorie, you will be satisfied with less and are less likely to overeat.

Using good ingredients such as really fresh fruit and vegetables, or grass fed beef will mean the flavour is already there and this will satisfy you – without the need to add high calorie sauces and flavourings to give it some taste (and pile on the calories!).

There are some other rules for eating ‘Intelligently’ such as avoiding processed foods, white bread, potatoes and sugar – but the key is to eat foods big in flavour, and in moderation. For example – using small bits of bacon and sausage to flavour a dish, rather than basing the whole dish around them.

Foods high in flavour per calories include olives, porcini mushrooms and (yes!) dark chocolate.

Basically – to eat well – follow these 3 simple rules:

• Don’t eat processed foods.
• Buy the best, fullest-flavored ingredients you can afford.
• Make those ingredients even better by cooking: the surest way to maximum FPC.

 Tandoori Salmon with Cucumber and Mint Salad

 Serves 2:

Equipment…

A sharp knife, chopping board, a grater, 2 mixing bowls, a spoon and a grill tray.

How to make it…

1. Mix together four tablespoons of yoghurt, the paprika, chilli powder, cumin, one tablespoons of the lemon juice, olive oil, turmeric, tomato puree and grated ginger in a bowl.
2. Spread it over the salmon fillets and leave to marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. When the fish has marinated, drain off any excess marinade and place on a grill tray, under a medium-hot grill. Cook for 6-8 minutes on each side.
4. To make the cucumber salad – place the cucumber in a bowl along with the remaining yoghurt, onion, mint and the remaining lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and spoon onto the plate with the watercress. Place the fish on top and serve.

 Tandoori Salmon with Cucumber and Mint Salad

It has been a busy few months for us and we can’t believe there is only 11 days left for us to reach our target of £50,000.  We are almost there! 

TLC – Corporate Cookery and Networking Events

We are beginning to plan our corporate cookery training programme for the members of staff of contributing companies. The main focus of this will be to help the companies promote health and wellbeing in the workplace by teaching a member of their staff to cook, but there are other benefits too!

We will have a series of business to business events, which will be free networking opportunities for all businesses who pledge their involvement.  These events will be organized around cookery, food and our chef demonstrations. 

Our corporate cookery sessions are where the main networking opportunity will take place. Each business will have one place for a member of staff on a session hosted in the Can Cook Studio.  These 3 hour after work sessions will be organized to give you contact with other businesses you may be particularly interested in meeting.  Our Chefs will introduce you to an international cuisine, you will have the opportunity to prepare a stunning 2 course meal and to network with the group while you enjoy the food you prepare in the Can Cook Dining room.  There will be 20 places on each session.

We will also hold a  Celebration Finale Evening at a city centre location ( all to be revealed soon!) this will be the culmination of the 100 day campaign and should be a fantastic event!

Following on from these events, we will begin teaching young people all across the City to cook for themselves – providing them with skills they need to cook fresh, healthy meals – skills that will last a lifetime!

We still need your help and urge anyone with a passion or interest in food, cookery and health to get involved and spread the word about Can Cook and our Teach Liverpool to Cook Campaign.  Tell your friends, family, neighbours, colleagues – everyone!

It’s not too late to get involved and do your bit for the health of people across Liverpool and join our cookery revolution!

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

Serves 2:

Equipment…

A sharp knife, saucepan, wooden spoon, measuring jug, mixing bowl and a whisk.

How to make it…

1. Heat the chicken stock, then add the creamed corn, soy sauce and ginger and slowly bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Slowly whisk in the corn flour until the soup has thickened, whisk the egg white into a bowl and slowly whisk into the soup.
3. Add the cooked chicken and slowly warm through, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve in bowls.

For our Full Timetable – Please Click here – Can Cook Timetable 2012

We design our cookery courses to suit all tastes and skills, and regularly ask for feedback off our customers to help us keep our cookery courses fresh and exciting!

We are also now offering our Chef Masterclasses for Indian, Thai and Italian Cookery. New to the programme this year, our Chef Masterclasses are perfect for those of you who already cook and want to learn more. A step up from our Indian, Italian and Thai Evening Courses – come and learn more about your favourite cuisine and pick up some new ideas along with useful skills and techniques from our Chefs. These courses are great if you are looking to be a bit more adventurous with your cooking!

Other cookery classes new to the programme include:

Cooking from Scratch - A great course for those wanting to learn more about the basics of cooking, or who prefer the more traditional cooking experience. Our chefs will teach and expand on essential cookery techniques that can be used across a variety of dishes.  A great starting platform for a budding cook or for those wanting to learn cookery techniques and skills from scratch!

Cooking from Scratch (11-15 years) - This course is just for young people aged 11-15. If you love cooking or would like to learn how to cook these half days are for you!

Simply Fish – this cookery course will introduce the techniques and methods used to fillet and cook fish, along with sauces and accompaniments to compliment perfectly!

Spanish Cook and Dine - New to our popular Cook and Dine Programme is our Spanish evening. Unwind and relax learning a tasty Mediterranean dish, before enjoying your food around the table with a glass of wine or beer – perfect!

Entertaining – For those of you looking for dishes to impress – our ‘Entertaining’ course is the one for you! Let our Chefs show you how to make a range of creative dishes suitable for entertaining small and larger groups.  Take home some tips in stunning presentation to wow your friends and family around the dinner table.

The old favouries – Thai, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Curries, Tapas, Spanish and Delicious Desserts are also still available – we hope you find a course you like!

See the full video interview here, including a tour of the Studio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ci_BD3lcwo&feature=bf_prev&list=PLF825E16BE84D60ED

Take a look at our March newsletter for more informaton on all of our new courses including our Entertaining Course, Simply Fish, Cooking from Scratch (for adults and kids)  our New Chef Masterclass Programme and more…

There is also more information on our Teaching Liverpool to Cook Campaign. We aim to raise £50,000 towards a cookery training programme which will support thousands of young people across the City learning to cook. Cookery skills are vital to health, but are rapidly on the decline – especially for young people under the age of 25.

We are passionate that we can start a cookery revolution and get everyone cooking once again! If you believe that cookery can make a difference to health and would like to get involved – get in touch!

Email Rebecca@cancook.co.uk, or call 0151 650 6444.

As something different for organisations and companies to do as an away day – we have been running sessions in the Studio for Teams of 10-20 to come and take part in a day of cookery with our Chefs.

What happens on your Team Day at the Can Cook Studio?

The teams arrive nervously anticipating the day ahead – some of who have never cooked before in their life! Our Chefs serve a restaurant standard breakfast to everyone before beginning the morning session of Chef Demonstrations and practical cookery. The Chefs will demonstrate some of the dishes that the group will cook during the day.

Everyone sits down together to enjoy lunch – either cooked by the team, or by our Chefs – before being briefed on their afternoon Team Challenge…

The Team challenge

This is the most exciting part of the day by far. The group are split up into teams before being given 1.5 hours to create a number of dishes between them. The Chef will have demonstrated some of the dishes during the morning, and the rest will be a surprise!

After the 1.5 hours is up, everyone gets to sit down to enjoy a well earned glass of wine and the amazing food that they have cooked together – whilst the Chefs judge the dishes on taste and presentation and the teams on their teamwork. Winners are announced and prizes given out at the end of a busy, but satisfying day!

These days are a great way for businesses to get their staff together and have some fun – whilst learning all about the best way to work as a team through a medium that everyone loves – food!

“We had a brilliant, challenging and enjoyable day! The Chefs and staff were approachable and really helpful” Addaction, April 2012

”I have attended very expensive cooking days in well known gourmet establishments and this was just as good. Chefs and staff were lovely  – we had a fab day!” Wirral Partnership Homes, February 2012

“LSHP and Liverpool PCT had a great day in the Studio. Even those with fews skills in the kitchen (me!) found the day to be really worthwhile and allowed the teams to bond and learn more about each other outside the work environment. Of all of the team building days I have experienced – this has been the best and most successful” Graham Pink (Chief Executive) Liverpool Sefton Health Partnership