Aboyne Academy ‘Wild Cooks’ raise profile of social eating

Into the kitchen and under the gaze of professional chefs, pupils at Aboyne Academy will be competing to be crowned the schools Wild Cook masterchef. 

A range of Deeside partners have come together to deliver the competition for 18 S3 pupils, with the first of eight sessions starting today (Friday). 

Head Teacher at Aboyne Academy Michael Foy said: “Working with professional chefs and using donated venison meat, pupils will learn essential cookery skills and the importance of cooking and eating with family and friends.  

“We are very grateful to the individuals and local organisations supporting this project. It looks set to be an inspiring and informative experience where pupils link practical skills in the kitchen to the importance of making positive choices about what we eat and how we eat.” 

Each week, pupils will make a new dish under the guidance of a different local chef. 

Pupils will use local produce and develop their understanding of the food sources on their doorstep in Deeside. 

At the end of each session, pupils will be given a set of ingredients to take home and will recreate the dish for their own family. All the ingredients have been donated by local sporting estates and Baxterstorey.

The project will culminate in a Masterchef style competition in March where the winning pair will spend a morning cooking, followed by lunch, in the award-winning Fish Shop, Ballater with chef Marcus Sherry. 

Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside Councillor Geva Blackett who brought the idea forward, said: “I am passionate about food, have always cooked from scratch for my family and want others to understand the joy of producing meals for those you love.  

“So, this project was born from the desire to mitigate the impact of the cost of living on local communities, particularly for those dealing with the challenges of food poverty and to encourage creativity. 

“The project aims to help breakdown reliance on processed shop bought ingredients and support the younger generation to develop a healthy regard for healthy local ingredients like venison – which has been donated by local sporting estates - and to ultimately enjoy the process of cooking and eating with family and friends.”

This project is a collaboration between Aboyne Academy, Aberdeenshire Cllr Geva Blackett, and Findrack Estate. The project is supported by Eatwild, Baxterstorey, Finzean Estate and Farm Shop, Fish Shop - Ballater, Rothesay Rooms, Douneside House and NHS Grampian catering with all the venison kindly supplied by local estates.