As families become busier, spending a lot of time cooking is something that most people don’t have the luxury of.
Parenting on Female First
This means that families do not involve the children when it comes to making dinner, with a staggering 1 in 4 parents revealing that they never cook with their kids. That means millions of children are growing up with no cooking skills for the future.
Cooking with your children will improve their skills in the kitchen and have a huge effect on their knowledge on food and as cooking is being re-introduced into the National Curriculum after a 20 year gap, kids of today have been left with a nation of parents that aren’t cooking as a family. Every child that learns how to cook shares their new skills with at least one other person - and 92% use them at home.
Ben Beginners have launched a new family cooking channel to urge families to make a change to their cooking arrangements and show the kids fun and simple ways to cook healthy and tasty foods.
Ben's Beginners has teamed up with Lisa Faulkner and DJ BQQ, in a bid to get kids and families cooking together.
Lisa Faulkner, author of ‘Recipes from My Mother for My Daughter’ and TV chef said: “I know how lucky and thankful I am that my mum cooked together with me and passed on her love and knowledge about food. For me, cooking’s as important a skill as reading and writing and I’m delighted to be working with Ben’s Beginners helping to get families all over the UK cooking together.”
Foodtube star, DJ BBQ, added: "1 in 4 parents say they never cook with their kids, which means millions of kids are missing out. I'm a dad, and to me cooking is as important as reading and writing. Together with my Ben's Beginners in the studio, we'll be showing kids and parents across the UK how easy it is to be cooking simple and healthy meals together"
Dr Richard Woolfson, Child Psychologist and Author said: “Learning to cook is a fundamental part of development, improving children’s independence, boosting self-esteem and laying the foundation for healthy eating and nutritional awareness. One of the main reasons that parents tend not to involve their children in cooking is because of lack of interest; making learning to cook fun, as the Ben’s Beginners shows do, helps overcome this indifference.”
Recipe for the Family
Bangin’ Burritos with Steak and Mexican Rice
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20mins
Cooking time: 1 hour
You will Need
For the spicy steak
- 1tbsp. Olive oil
- ½ tsp. chilli powder (add more if your family likes it hotter)
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 250g sirloin steak, fat removed and finely sliced
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 small yellow pepper, sliced
- 1 small red pepper, diced
- 1 small green pepper, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- black pepper
For the creamy, zingy guacamole
- 1 large tomatoes, diced
- 4 spring onions, sliced
- 2 limes, juice
- 2 avocados
Other ingredients for serving
- 250g Uncle Ben’s Express Mexican Rice, heated as per packet instructions
- A handful fresh coriander
- 4 x Wholemeal tortilla wraps
- 4tbsp. Natural yogurt
- 60g Grated cheddar
How to Make It
Mash up the guacamole
1. Squish the avocadoes in a large bowl using the back of a fork. 2. Add the tomatoes, spring onions and lime juice for some zing. 3. Set to one side while you take care of the other bits.Sizzle the spicy steak
4. In a large bowl mix together the oil, dried oregano and spices, tip in the steak and give it a good massage to really get those flavours in. 5. Get a large frying pan smoking hot. 6. Tip in the spicy steak and fry on a high heat until caramelised on all sides, then remove from the pan to rest. 7. Tip the peppers, onions and garlic into the same pan and fry until they’re just cooked and starting to char. 8. Just before serving bang the steak back in with the veggies along with any resting juices for extra flavour.Get rocking and rolling
9. Heat the rice and wholemeal tortillas – always follow the packet instructions. 10. Sprinkle the rice and spicy beef with the coriander and serve with a dollop of guacamole and natural yogurt and a sprinkle of grated cheese. 11. Everyone can put together their own burritos how they like it – filling the tortillas with rice, beef and other toppings.Ben Beginners put together a short film which puts a different kind of new home on the market.
To stay up to date with developments, subscribe to: https://www.youtube.com/bensbeginners