Thanks go to Miss Gibson for inviting John from Vutie Beets Vegan Eatery to our school today.
John, who has recently started his own vegan eatery in Letchworth, spoke to the children about the benefits of healthy eating and cooking. He showed them that it is possible to be more ‘ethically, healthily, and environmentally conscious by bringing an exciting and vibrant energy to vegan food’.
He then spent some time in class preparing a courgetti bolognese, and the children watched, fascinated, as he peeled, julienned, blended and pulsed various vegetables into a beautiful and tasty dish that was sampled by (most of!) the pupils.
The children seemed to be inspired by this simple yet effective way of preparing raw food. They asked a variety of questions that demonstrated how they were beginning to think about how adapting to this type of diet would be beneficial to people’s health, reduce packaging and waste, and of course, the impact that it has on animals and the environment.
Making the bolognese sauce
Draining off excess liquid
Peeling the courgette
The courgettes have been julienned (cut thinly)
Courgetti!
Sharing it out
Sampling the goods
Mmm… don’t want to share!
Delicious
Please sir, can I have some more?
Not everyone is convinced!
Although John did not come purely to advertise his restaurant, it might be nice if you happen to be passing by The Wynd in Letchworth to drop in for a smoothie or a burger and discover some new and delicious tastes for yourself. Failing that, look at today’s recipe at the bottom of the page and have a go tonight!
“I learned that vegan food isn’t boring, and vegan food could be more fun than other foods!’ Amelie
“I really enjoyed trying out new food. It was really yummy, a different style, and I probably wouldn’t have tried it if John hadn’t come in.” Aimee
“I liked his way of cooking. I tried courgettes (again!). They were okay; not my favourite.” Hannah
“I enjoyed him coming in because he taught us a new recipe that we can try at home.” Daisy B
“It was quite interesting to watch. I discovered a new tool – the courgette pasta tool.” Callum
Recipe for Courgetti Bolognaise
Ingredients:
Tomato; Sun dried tomato; virgin olive oil; Italian herbs; garlic; basil; pink or grey salt; pepper; spinach; lemon; parsnip; red bell pepper; carrots; dates; courgettes; vegan cheese (to sprinkle on top).
Method:
Bolognese sauce: chop and pulse tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, oil, herbs, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a blender. Drain some liquid from this sauce.
Use a julienne blade or spiraliser, or thinly cut the courgettes into spaghetti-style strips. Put into bowl, and add some spinach.
Pulse the rest of the ingredients into the bolognese sauce until they are finely chopped. Serve the sauce over the courgette and spinach. No cooking needed. Eat. Delicious!
