In January 2018 I decided to volunteer to teach a cookery class with Ozanam House in Dublin. There are 2 instructors and up to 10 students in each class. We have 3 class terms per year, each running for 10 weeks with each class lasting 2 hours.
The class has a very social and easy going feel to it and it gives people a chance to learn cooking skills in a relaxed setting. We cater to students of all abilities and backgrounds.
I have really enjoyed teaching the class this year. I feel that I have learned more than I have taught others during the class.
Each term we have had different students and each term the easy going social feeling has been there which has been great.
We let students choose (with a little guidance) what we are going to make the following week. I quickly realised that we need to pick recipes that take less than 45 minutes in order to keep the class relaxed.There is no point trying to rush through a complicated recipe as people don’t enjoy the class and won’t make the dish at home afterwards.
We make one savory item and one sweet item and we all eat lunch together at the end of the class. Everyone gets to take home some food if they want. My own kids beg me to bring home some of the sweet treats we make each week!
We have made a number of the recipes on this website and many students have gone home and cooked or baked the recipe again. To me that shows that the recipes are simple to make but very tasty to eat.
I would recommend volunteering to anyone who gets a chance to do so. It will enrich your life in many ways, some that you won’t even realise til you do it.