French cuisine has long been renowned for its rich flavours, elegant presentation, and centuries of culinary mastery. From sweet apple madeleines to savoury coq au vin, French cooking is internationally beloved for its artful blend of ingredients, techniques, and traditions.

Thanks to the French Department and the Food & Nutrition Department’s collaboration, they have been able to create an after school club devoted to French cuisine, exclusively open to Lower IV. Throughout the five week course, we have made numerous delicious French meals and desserts. 

We started on the first full week back, making a delicious fluffy chocolate mousse. We used equipment that some of us had never used before, and learned different techniques to make a delectable chocolate dessert.

In the next lesson, we made an amazing savoury dish called ratatouille – a vegetable stew. It typically consists of tomatoes, aubergines, bell peppers and onions which are then simmered in a tomato based sauce and then spiced with herbs. Whether you’re a fan of vegetables or if you really despise them, Ratatouille is something you could always enjoy with anything (notably bread or rice).

After the ratatouille, we made a dozen of palatable apple madeleines by dicing up apple slices and mixing them into the batter. Once the batter thickens, it would be then poured into shell shaped mould which would then turn into golden goodness once taken out of the oven.

Taking a break from the sweet, we now moved onto savoury again the week after. We made another stew, called Coq au Vin. This is meaty, stewy delight that consists of bacon, chicken, mushroom, cognac and red wine. To end your excitement, the stew is non-alcoholic as the alcoholic contents eventually cook off, but it is still an excitement to make the stew as multitasking is required because the cooking is broken down into different components.

As our last lesson rolled around, we ended the club by making classic french crepes with a chocolate dip. This lesson was particularly fun as we found ourselves flipping the thin pancakes up in the air and enjoying the delicious chocolate sauce. Overall, this club was a brilliant opportunity to showcase our cooking skills and learn different techniques that will help us in the future when we are no longer dependent on our parents.

Learning about French Cuisine gave us a taste of French culture. This club was an enriching experience in a new field and I hope that the club will continue after half-term and be open to more year groups so that everyone can enjoy the knowledge and sensation of French Cuisine.

Jeanie, Lower IV