Children as young as age 5 learning to cook at South Rivers Methodist 

Photos by the school’s principal – Ms. Roslyn Johnny.

By Admin. Updated 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 15, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Students as young as age five (5) received the opportunity to prepare local dishes at the South Rivers Methodist School as the institution celebrated World Food Day (October 16).

As the school held its first cook-off competition among its classes, the classes were paired and students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 made several local dishes under the supervision of staff, and a winner emerged.

The event was held at the school’s grounds, and the dishes prepared included Callaloo Soup, Wallop, Stewed Chicken Back and Roasted Breadfruit, and Turkey Boil-Up with ground provisions.

The youngest cook, Reniah DaSilva, is age five (5). She helped with adding the rice and locally-grown, natural seasonings such as Thyme and Chives to the pot.

Another five-year-old, Arianna Lewis was also very helpful in setting the table for the presentation of the prepared dishes for the judges to sample.

Principal of the South Rivers Methodist School – Ms. Roslyn Johnny told One News SVG the rationale for the event is to improve comradeship among teachers and students.

She said the event also sought “to expose students to the traditional ways of cooking and encourage sharing”.

“It’s also a practical way of improving reading and writing as recipes were done prior to the event and displayed in the different booths during the event today,” she added.

She said the students enjoyed the activity. A lot of them asked when it would be done again.

One News SVG also obtained some responses from the students which included statements such as: “Miss, as God this food eat good,” and “Now I know what is Wallop and how to cook it!” Another participating student said: “Miss, next time Grade 5 and Grade 1 winning!”

The Grade 6 and Kindergarten pair won the competition with their Wallop dish.

Teachers who supervised the cooking activity explained that Wallop is a local dish that was normally prepared by our grand and great-grandparents. It is prepared using a variety of ingredients: callaloo, pumpkin, rice, green plantains, green breadfruit, dasheen, tannia, coconut milk, and a mixture of different meats, such as chicken back. Salted pigtails are a must. Preparers of the dish can top it off with some fresh herbs for a delicious finish.

“Teachers and students were very enthusiastic to prepare this dish as it brought back memories for some teachers when their grandparents prepared it and because a lot of people were asking what it was as they’ve never had it before,” a teacher at the school told One News SVG.