Feb
27
Ain’t half hot!
Filed Under News
It ain’t half hot Mum - but I love it.
Toddlers at a Blackpool nursery got a taste of the East when curry went on the menu.
Youngsters at the Safehands Green Start eco nursery at Blackpool Football Stadium, Bloomfield Road,,are learning all about different foods from around the world .And when mum Shanaz Rashid ,whose 3 year old son Mustafa attends the nursery , heard about it ,she immediately volunteered to cook up a special chicken curry on site for all the children- and the staff as well! 
“It was a fabulous day but very busy ”, said mother of two Shanaz, whose husband Muhammad runs the popular Al-Amirs restaurant in Talbot Road Blackpool.
”We first of all prepared a mild version made from real spices for the children and then a hotter one for the staff .In all, we served over 120 meals made in the kitchen at the nursery and the children thought it was wonderful.”
During the “Curry Club” the children all ticked into bowls of rice. naan bread ,with yoghurt dips ,vegetable sticks and side salads and even the babies in the nursery ,some as young as just seven months old ,ate the chicken curry pureed.
“All the chicken we prepared was Halal, bought with the spices from my favourite shop in Preston” said Shanaz, whose family originally came over to the UK from Rawalpindi in Pakistan.
The Curry Club event, followed a similar successful Chinese themed day during Chinese New Year and other similar food tastings are now being planned including Italian.
“We have children here whose parents come from all over the world and this is a great way of teaching the youngsters about different cultures and ways of life.” said nursery manager Kate Myers.” It’s all part of the learning process, helping the little ones learn about, smell taste, how different meals are produced, and where spices come from. We hope to make these special days part of the regular social calendar at Safehands.”
The Safehands eco nursery, which also has its own full time chef, actively promotes green issues, healthy eating and lifestyle in a fun-learning environment and is the only one of its kind in the region.
The super nursery, which caters for up to 120 children, is run by husband and wife team Gary and Stephanie Farrer, who set up the Safehands Network – one of the UK’s leading childcare providers -ten years ago.
