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Lesley Teaches Ayr Pupils the Art of Good Taste
Lesley, far left, with the Kyle Academy pupils and their teacher Joyce Morrison (opens in new window)
Pupils at Ayr’s Kyle Academy have been exploring how to take a healthy meal from concept to plate with the help of SAC Food Scientist Lesley Howie.
As part of the Health & Food Technology element of their Home Economics course, the senior pupils had to develop a new food product from an initial idea through to presenting their meal idea as a prototype for tasting and evaluation. The pupils’ brief from the Scottish Qualifications Authority was to develop a dish to be included in a healthy options range for children. This would therefore help encourage a ‘five-a-day’ intake of fruit and vegetables.
Lesley helped the students to consider if they had met the brief and whether their products were likely to be successful in the marketplace. This involved subjecting the meal ideas - which included colourful pasta dishes, healthy variations on shepherd’s pie and an imaginative ‘tortilla Bolognese sombrero’ - to the rigours of sensory analysis. Lesley ran a workshop at SAC’s Ayr Campus to explain the importance of carrying out sensory assessment to evaluate the taste, texture, aroma and visual appeal of food products. Using various examples including ice cream, she illustrated the range of tests that can be used. Lesley was also interviewed by each pupil about their product and provided feedback to help with their final submission to Scottish Qualifications Authority.
The pupils were enthusiastic about Lesley’s expert input, with one commenting, “The sensory workshop at SAC’s Ayr Campus was very interesting and the ice cream tasting was fun! The information we got was also useful in helping me with my project for Higher Health and Food Technology.”
Lesley said: “This work is part of SAC’s ongoing engagement with school pupils on food science and technology topics. The food industry is the largest manufacturing sector in Scotland and has a high demand for graduates in roles such as food safety, food quality and new product development. Going by the enthusiasm of the Kyle Academy pupils, we may have one or two future industry experts in the making!”