JP McMahon, owner and chef at Michelin-starred Aniar Restaurant, will host an eight-week cookery course for children aged eight to 15 years starting April 10. The course will teach children to make some crowd-pleasing and family-friendly foods such as lasagna, pancakes, bread, and even roast chicken. The classes will be held virtually via Zoom each Saturday morning.
Budding young chefs can attend the full course, priced at €250, or choose to attend individual classes for €35 per session with ingredients list and required tools shared in advance.
Students will also have the option of cooking along with JP McMahon, or tuning into the class later and putting the learnings into practice on their own when it has finished.
With lockdown restrictions making it difficult for children to attend their usual extracurricular activities, McMahon's virtual course aims to give children an entertaining, interactive, and educational experience. As parental supervision is advised for children under 12, the classes also offer parents the chance to bond with their children over everyone’s favourite talking point - food.
“We are really excited to introduce our virtual cookery course for kids," JP McMahon said. "As a dad myself, I know just how important it is for kids to learn new skills and for us as parents to encourage passions and talents. Lockdown has made it all the more difficult to ensure our kids are reaching their potential so our eight-week course is a fantastic opportunity to teach a life-long skill in a fun way.
“We have made sure that the classes offer variety when it comes to recipes, but also that each class is suitable for a variety of abilities. As a chef, my own personal ethos is to harness traditional methods and local produce, so I will also share some of my own beliefs and passions in hopes I can open our attendees’ eyes to the world of food around them too.”
Ideal for children already showing talent in the kitchen and those who need a little encouragement, the course will not only teach how to cook traditional meals and recipes, but also must-know culinary skills along the way. It will also support children to build an increased understanding of Irish produce and appreciation for different flavours through a relaxed and fun format.
JP McMahon has also launched a 10-week virtual cookery course, starting on March 2 with a limited number of spaces available. The course will deliver the content from his highly popular six-week cooking class which usually takes place in Aniar. The course will guide food lovers through a different culinary cornerstone each week, going beyond the basics of at-home cooking.
“I try to make the experience as inclusive and diverse and informative as possible," he said. "Students will learn so much about food preparation and cooking methods, for example, 'beef week' will also focus on different cuts as well as sauce making, and 'pork week' will focus on pork dishes plus the skill of pickling.”
A must-attend for any food lovers, cost is €495 for the course and €55 per class with themes including bread, beef, pork, fish, vegetables, and desserts.
For more information and to book visit aniarrestaurant.ie
