What our customers have to say...
What our customers have to say...
Read what our customers have to say...
Total testimonials: 70Can I just say how much I enjoyed experiencing the "Roots to Food" event at Marden Primary School yesterday.
Darren Tinkler is an extremely effective presenter and the level of engagement and enthusiasm he generated from the children was truly wonderful to see. GSS are to be congratulated on delivering such added value to their schools. As you know, I am now an Associate Governor of the school and I will be reporting back to my colleagues in a very positive manner.
Roots to Food was really fun to watch. I learnt some knew things about food.
It was lots of fun! I learnt the names of the different food groups. I also learnt that fish makes you brainy!
I was on the green team. I liked cooking with all of my group, we took it in turns! We got to taste both teams food at the end. They both tasted nice but I liked ours better!
I really enjoyed the workshop. I learnt something new about fish! There are three categories: white, oily and shellfish.
We learnt about how much fruit to eat in the day. You should have five pieces of fruit.
He told us which fruit was good for you and that you should eat five bits a day.
I was a chef! I had to use bananas, peaches, strawberries and apple and orange juice to make a smoothie. I put them in the smoothie maker and pushed the button and it chopped it up for me! It was yummy and I could taste the peach!
The recipes will be signposted and added to our website.
Thank you again!
Wellingborough Prep School, working with Darren Tinkler of Roots to Food, hosted its latest Celebration Dinner in May of this year. This dinner has become somewhat of a prestigious event within the School's social calendar, leaving parents astounded by what their children can achieve.
The Prep School and Darren (previously of Chartwells, but now working independently under the 'Roots to Food' banner) devised the plan for the dinner when Headmaster's wife, Claire Mitchell, was asked to provide a cooking experience for all the children in Year 8. Although it had originally been thought that the cookery classes could take place in her house, Darren and Mrs Mitchell came up with the idea of a set of evening cookery master classes, followed by a celebratory dinner, delivered to the pupils' parents in a 'top notch' fashion.
During the cookery master classes, students were able to get a feel for cooking and what they might expect from working in a professional kitchen. It is at this point that each of the students is advised of their main role for the evening. All have to multi-task to ensure that all aspects of the presentation are fulfilled to a high standard.
Up to 80 children each year are given the opportunity to act as either Chef, Waiter, Sommelier, Maitre d' or a member of the Meet and Greet team. All are involved with every aspect of the delivery of this very special evening, even down to napkin art, flower arranging, photography and occasional music.
The life skills gained through the experience of working with experts in the field of catering are invaluable. Darren Tinkler has combined nutritional education, cooking skills and high expectations with a great deal of fun.
I am delighted not only to have been involved in this fantastic cooking initiative, but to also see how well received it is by all the children and their parents.
What an absolutely fantastic evening my wife and I just had. You must be so proud of what the children achieved tonight. We felt we were in the company of young men and women - they were all so grown up and impeccably mannered.
The food was truly superb and, as an Eton Mess aficionado, it was as good as I have had in any restaurant!
Thank you to the teaching and kitchen staff, and most of all the Year 8's; that was a truly memorable evening
The gala dinner was one of the most exciting experiences we have ever had; the experience of actually catering for over 150 adults gave us a very different perspective on life and a preview of a possible future.
The evening started at about 4pm, with waiters and waitresses setting up tables and cooks preparing dishes in the kitchen. The waiters and waitresses partnered up to learn how to professionally lay out the cutlery and how to fold napkins into many shapes and sizes. Meanwhile, the chefs partnered up and learnt how to prepare their dishes and set the food out on plates professionally.
The chefs thought the hardest part of the evening was getting all of the dishes ready on time, especially when the time came for the desserts as there was a huge wave of waiters and waitresses all wanting Eton Mess for their customers which was so popular and it looked great! The waiters and waitresses thought that the hardest part of the evening was making sure everyone on their table had exactly what they ordered and also trying to judge when everyone would finish.
The evening was hard but enjoyable while we were serving the adults. Afterwards, everyone felt fulfilled and very proud of what they had achieved. We know that everyone would love to do the evening again as it was very successful.
Thank you so much for the fantastic workshops you presented at Merton Park today. The children not only had loads of fun but they also learnt lots about food groups, hydration, healthy eating and how to prepare two delicious meals!
Your workshops delivered so much more than I had expected. You included all the children and staff and also our school cook - she so rarely gets out of the kitchen during the morning!
In addition to all the great learning going on there was a lovely smell of cooking wafting around the school - it made us all feel hungry!
Thank you once more Darren - I shall make sure the recipes go home with the children tomorrow.
Enthusiasm and Professionalism
I have used Darren on many occasions for both school events and conferences for school leaders. In all he does, Darren brings a level of enthusiasm and professionalism I have rarely seen. His ability to engage an audience, no matter the age, and see great results in learning and teamwork is why I use him whenever I am planning something. His ability to create and work within the budget agreed has never failed and I have always seen 100% positive feedback from schools and conferences when he's there.