Are YOU free on Friday 22 June? Do YOU want to win a day with Paul Hollywood?  Do YOU teach food?  Do YOU teach 11-14 year olds?  Do YOU teach in the UK? 

Celebrity baker Paul Hollywood is supporting the grainchain.com Inspire! competition for a second year.  The competition asks teachers to submit a single lesson plan which stimulates learning around one of five areas.  These are: baking for celebration events; incorporating local ingredients; celebrating bread and cake making; exploring a variety of flour and grainc; and making the most of seasonal foods.  There will be four prizes of £500 to enhance food work in school as well as a baking master class with Paul with the chance to ask him your questions and to get some baking tips to take back to the classroom. 

We have also developed a range of resources to springboard your ideas and to get your creative juices flowing.  We have starter activities, main activities and suggestions for plenary and extention activities.  Use all or some or none of these in your competition entry.  Remember, we just want one lesson plan. Reinvent a tried and tested old favourite or try out something new with your G&T students. 

Pancake day is coming up - you could use that to kick start your competition entry under the banner of baking for celebration events?

For further details or to download an entry form visit www.grainchain.com/competitions. The competition closes on 4 May.

Shrove Tuesday AKA Pancake Day AKA Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday 21 February 2012 and is the last day before Lent. Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up – so Shrove Tuesday is the final chance to indulge oneself and eat foods that aren’t allowed during Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden. Today Christians traditionally give up one thing, such as chocolate, for Lent. In days gone by there was a whole week of celebrations and in other parts of the world the celebrations are still very extravagant. The carnivals held in New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro originate from the celebrations preceding Lent. In fact the word carnival comes from the Latin meaning ‘removal of meat’ which refers to the early Christian Lentern diet.

Why don’t you make a mask to wear in the Mardi Gras festival and/or try out one of our pancake recipes. The savoury and sweet mini pancake recipes even have an accompanying video.

Savoury pancakes

Sweet mini pancakes

Pancakes and summer berry compote

After all that cooking why not visit our section Making and Baking: The Science and Technology and discover what makes bread rise; how making bread at home differs from commercial bread making; some of the different types of bread available; and what the symbols and numbers on the label of a loaf of bread mean.  Or why not watch a video on the industrial bread process.

And don’t forget, before you begin any cooking session please make sure you are familiar with the health and safety checklist.