Laois teacher's cookery book added to curriculum

A Portlaoise College home economics teacher has co-written a cookery book which is currently being added to the home economics Junior Cycle curriculum in schools all around the country.

Julie Anne Behan from Killenard and her long-term friend Brenda Fallon Hyland, also a home economics teacher at Seamount College Kinvara in Galway, wrote the book together.

Following successfully approaching Gill Education with the idea the dedicated teachers were given the green light and celebrity chef Neven Maguire even wrote the foreword for the book titled Now You’re Cooking.

Speaking at Portlaoise College Ms Behan said, “Now You're Cooking is a Junior Cycle home economics resource for teachers and students to use in preparation for Classroom-Based Assessments or CBA2. The practical skills exam is worth 50% of the new Junior Cycle Home Economics course.

“Brenda and I wanted to create a resource that students would use to help them prepare for these exams but it has another purpose too. We envisaged that students would take this book with them after their Junior Cycle is completed so they can 'cook for life'. Home Economics classes are so important for all students to learn essential cookery skills.”

“Each evaluation links to key themes such as sustainability, prevention of food waste, understanding of cooking principles, healthy eating, and portion sizes.”

All of the recipes offer lots of modifications to making them suitable to meet various special dietary needs and one hour home economics classes.

Margaret Burns is Home Economics Commissioning Editor at Gill Education. “When Julie-Anne and Brenda approached me with the idea for a student-friendly cookery journal their infectious enthusiasm for cookery and their love of teaching won us over and we are delighted with the end result.

“Neven Maguire kindly provided the foreword for the book and I think he said it best when he said that it was in the home economics room that his interest in food began and that he is certain that there will be readers of this book who will now begin a lifelong interest in good food whether that’s at home or perhaps even as a career.” she said.

Now You’re Cooking is now available in all good book shops or from the Gill website.