Junior Masterchef judges Matt Preston and Anna Gare with contestant Isabella.
Like most Australians at the moment I am addicted to Masterchef. But not only is it one of my favourite shows, it is also one of my four year olds favourite shows. And this is proving to be a great platform for us to develop a love of cooking, and eating great food together.
Thanks to a combination of this Masterchef obsession, school holidays ruling out our usual extra circular activities and the weather outside being horrible I have turned slightly Martha Stewart over the last few weeks. This is partly because, thanks to breastfeeding, I am hungry all the time and partly because it keeps Jamison entertained for a while. And if I have a choice between having to push a swing while being pelted with artic winds and having my boob freeze while I breastfeed at the park or baking a yummy cake (and then eating said yummy cake) in a warm kitchen I know where I will be.
And luckily Jamison is all for this Martha Stewart incarnation, thanks to Masterchef. So we don our aprons, he is Gary and I am George. He’s quite adamant about this because George has “a hole in his head” (meaning he is bald!) And together we chop, stir and wisk, as Jami keeps an eye on his Mickey Mouse watch and yells sporadically “Chop it Mum, 5 minutes to go” while pounding his fist dramatically.
Sure, afterwards the kitchen looks like a bombsite, our scones are like rocks thanks to the over excited kneading and all my clothes end up covered in flour. But we are having fun, being creative, learning something and keeping away from both the park and the TV for a while. There is also the upside of us getting to eat all of our projects, an advantage that craft can never match.
But it hasn’t just inspired me in the kitchen, Jamison’s interest has even got Daddy to pull out the utensils, with the Sunday night Webber becoming a new fixture on our weekly menu. Not having to cook on a lazy Sunday and getting to sit down to a roast dinner my boys have made is a wonderful thing indeed!
So last weekend, inspired by his this new interest in cooking we took a trip to the markets, where we smelt the produce and talked about what each vegetable was. It was all very Jamie Oliver, or I should say Stephanie Alexander, but I am hoping it encourages in Jamison an appreciation of healthy food. Which, with obesity levels in children so high these days, is an important lesson. Also, as a mother, I really want to raise a son who knows his way around a kitchen (the laundry may be a harder sell.)
In an interview with an online recipe website, MasterChef judge Matt Preston said the show is fostering a cultural kitchen revolution.
"People are looking for cheap ways to bring the family together and a Tuesday night dinner or Sunday lunch is an excellent way to do that."
Preston hopes the show will have a lasting effect and says it is even inspiring kids "to be interested more in the food, than the toy that comes with it."
Now, I’m not sure if the interest in “the toy that comes with it” will ever wane and I can’t promise that we won’t still be making trips through the drive thru on a night when things are hectic, but it’s a start!
Do you enjoy cooking with your kids? Has your family been inspired by the Masterchef craze? What else do you do to keep them occupied during the school holidays? Comment on Amity's blog.
Thanks to a combination of this Masterchef obsession, school holidays ruling out our usual extra circular activities and the weather outside being horrible I have turned slightly Martha Stewart over the last few weeks. This is partly because, thanks to breastfeeding, I am hungry all the time and partly because it keeps Jamison entertained for a while. And if I have a choice between having to push a swing while being pelted with artic winds and having my boob freeze while I breastfeed at the park or baking a yummy cake (and then eating said yummy cake) in a warm kitchen I know where I will be.
And luckily Jamison is all for this Martha Stewart incarnation, thanks to Masterchef. So we don our aprons, he is Gary and I am George. He’s quite adamant about this because George has “a hole in his head” (meaning he is bald!) And together we chop, stir and wisk, as Jami keeps an eye on his Mickey Mouse watch and yells sporadically “Chop it Mum, 5 minutes to go” while pounding his fist dramatically.
Sure, afterwards the kitchen looks like a bombsite, our scones are like rocks thanks to the over excited kneading and all my clothes end up covered in flour. But we are having fun, being creative, learning something and keeping away from both the park and the TV for a while. There is also the upside of us getting to eat all of our projects, an advantage that craft can never match.
But it hasn’t just inspired me in the kitchen, Jamison’s interest has even got Daddy to pull out the utensils, with the Sunday night Webber becoming a new fixture on our weekly menu. Not having to cook on a lazy Sunday and getting to sit down to a roast dinner my boys have made is a wonderful thing indeed!
So last weekend, inspired by his this new interest in cooking we took a trip to the markets, where we smelt the produce and talked about what each vegetable was. It was all very Jamie Oliver, or I should say Stephanie Alexander, but I am hoping it encourages in Jamison an appreciation of healthy food. Which, with obesity levels in children so high these days, is an important lesson. Also, as a mother, I really want to raise a son who knows his way around a kitchen (the laundry may be a harder sell.)
In an interview with an online recipe website, MasterChef judge Matt Preston said the show is fostering a cultural kitchen revolution.
"People are looking for cheap ways to bring the family together and a Tuesday night dinner or Sunday lunch is an excellent way to do that."
Preston hopes the show will have a lasting effect and says it is even inspiring kids "to be interested more in the food, than the toy that comes with it."
Now, I’m not sure if the interest in “the toy that comes with it” will ever wane and I can’t promise that we won’t still be making trips through the drive thru on a night when things are hectic, but it’s a start!
Do you enjoy cooking with your kids? Has your family been inspired by the Masterchef craze? What else do you do to keep them occupied during the school holidays? Comment on Amity's blog.
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