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Anzac day activities at Happy Valley School

Anzac day services are being held outside of school terms this year, so a few Kitchen Garden Schools are getting in early and commemorating the day with kitchen garden themed Anzac activities. Hear what Happy Valley School in South Australia is doing from the school’s Kitchen Specialist, Kate Sparrow ...

‘All five ovens in the kitchen were duly fired up and ready. Potato & rosemary pizzas and the iconic Anzac biscuit bake-off was the order of the day!

Long stalks of rosemary (appropriately, the herb of remembrance) were plucked from the garden. Children chopped scented leaves with mezzalunas to sprinkle over their pizzas.

Two teams of young chefs were vigorously rolling out the dough, while another eager team was carefully weighing out the ingredients in preparation for the next class. Flour, yeast, lukewarm water and a little sugar and olive oil all went into the mixing bowl. The dough was stirred, tipped onto benchtops and kneaded, then set aside to rest and prove for later use.

Team 4 was busy plucking leaves from a huge basket of basil, fresh from the garden. This was whirred in the blender to make bright green basil pesto. Children made nut-free versions with sunflower seeds and chickpeas to freeze for future pasta menus. The green theme continued as big jugs of iced lemon verbena tea were stirred and fresh limes squeezed and blended to create a refreshing drink. Plenty of new and exciting flavours were being discovered in the kitchen!

Team 5 was immersed in the making of Anzac biscuits. Bowls of oats, melted butter, brown sugar and honey were stirred and the mixture flattened into biscuits. We talked about the meaning of the word ‘Anzac’ and the fact that these biscuits were originally called ‘Soldiers’ biscuits’.

Finally our bellissimo pizza biancas were ready and served at the table. And our thoughts went out respectfully as we declared a few moments of silence to honour and remember those brave men and women, the Anzacs.’

You’ll find these menu recipes, among others, on the school website.

Congratulations Happy Valley, what a great way to commemorate a special day.