Obesity.

BBbevan It's strange there was such variation across the country. When I went to a South Staffs grammar school in 1954 we had needlework lessons in the first term in which we made gingham aprons and caps. These were worn in the domestic science lessons which followed and which then continued until we started O level courses. We began with making coffee and ended with making a Christmas cake.

I too went to a Grammar School and learnt both Domestic Science and Needlework but equally I did all the sciences, so consider myself very lucky.

We learnt how to cook all the basics from scratch and then onto more complicated things. I’d love to see that level of cookery brought back into schools instead of some of the no doubt educational things they do learn that have no bearing on real life.

NanaandGrampy At my grammar school we did all the sciences too, as well as domestic science, that was the norm. It certainly is still the norm in some schools today. As I said in my previous post, at my DGC 's school all pupils learn to cook the basics from scratch, moving on to more complicated things and have lessons in nutrition and healthy eating alongside the practicals. The difference is that at my school the boys did woodwork whereas at DGC's school boys and girls learn about nutrition and how to cook.

I would have loved to do Domestic Science. I always envied those of my friends who came home from school with a tin of things they had cooked. I did do needlework at primary school and made a petticoat. But I was lucky in that my mother taught me to cook. Every Sunday morning we made something as well as dinner.

I do agree with the original post in many ways BUT I did Domestic Science to O Level and I have always been overweight. It taught me a love of cooking and good food. we learnt all the varieties of pastry, rich sauces, roasts, cakes etc which are lovely but hardly diet food- we didn't know about healthy eating then. I do think it would help if people learnt to cook. One of my observations however is how small and inconvenient modern kitchens are - not conducive to proper cooking.

Maybe we need to look at "low fat food" as the manufacturers substitute sugar for the fat.

Palm oil is also added to a lot of convenience foods, which is highly calorific and "moresome" and not that great for the planet.

I alo went to a grammar school in the 60's, similar to other posters, needlework in first term to make Domestic Science apron and Science Lab Coat. Second term Domestic Science starting from the basics, meal planning, nutrition and household budgeting.

You are right grannygravy- but I’m not sure why some are ignorant of that fact. It gets talked about enough.
Only my fat friends eat or drink low fat or low sugar food.
It doesn’t really matter for me if I have full fat coke because I only have about one a year. Drinking the low sugar drinks actually increases the desire to eat.
It fools the brain into thinking energy is on its way, when that energy isn’t delivered the brain tells its body to eat.

What I do find totally curious is this - all through Primary School the 'lunchbox police' were diligent in taking away anything that contravened policy, no chocolate, no chocolate biscuits, nothing to drink but water, nothing like sausage rolls or scotch eggs etc etc.

This year my granddaughter went to Secondary School and eats in the school canteen where all number of unhealthy choices are available including doughnuts , crisps and sausage rolls.

That makes no sense to me. The children have no where else to go for lunch so wouldn't it make sense to only have healthy options available. After all, no one NEEDS a doughnut for lunch!

So why the heavy handedness up to age 11 and the hands off approach when they reach 12?

Thank you for all your posts, I see most people are in agreement with me. I went to a Secondary Modern school as well, we also made Christmas cakes in our third and fourth year. Only one rebellion and that was the cost of making marzipan which no-one in our family ate. My Mom came up with almond essence and soy flour - teacher a little horrified but it worked well and we threw it away with a clear conscience. Now 77 and still enjoy cooking and baking for family when they visit - nowadays thank goodness for the freezer!

30 years ago we were on benefits, feeding a family of 5 on less than £10 a week. DD1 started Home Ec and week 1 was a cottage pie - great. W2 was a trifle - a packet of sponge cakes, a pack of Birds Dream Topping, a packet of hundreds and thousands, a packet of Greens Jelly etc and tins of fruit and custard. We priced up - £5! So we explained that we couldn't do it. The school couldn't see our problem. Eventually our Education Welfare Officer, who could understand our viewpoint, arranged for the school to provide the ingredients - DD wasn't even allowed to sample her trifle, which I felt was unfair - she should have been able to have a spoonful. And they called that "Home Economics" - we make a trifle with slightly stale cake, real custard, a drop of sherry and some real fruit, maybe slightly overripe, topped with whipped double cream!

They already do teach cookery at senior schools. They also teach nutrition, reasons why we need certain vitamins etc and the dangers of too much sugar, fats and salt, always promoting a healthy diet. However, the kids then go in the canteen and as others say, out come the crisps, cakes and sweets. They do not teach economy with feeding a family, which I think would be very beneficial these days.

I went to a grammar school and we had to make our apron in the first term before being let loose in the cookery classes. We covered all aspects of cookery and it was a really good foundation.
A neighbour went to a different school and they were taught how to launder too.

Surely it is in incumbent on mothers and fathers to teach their offspring? Schools cannot do everything and have been beggared by this government. How many people are forced to sit all day in call centres, disastrous for healthy backs and leaving little or no time for exercising. The world just isn’t like it used to be. Food is less nutritious, stuffed with chemicals and hormones than it was, and organic is just too expensive to feed families. After a full days work, it is not surprising that finding the energy to cook and exercise and help children with homework and get them to bed on time is a daunting task.

Interesting topic. I did O'level cookery which I had enjoyed right through school. We started off in the first lesson at 11 making drinking chocolate (cocoa and sugar) and the final exam at 16 was a meal for a convalescing invalid - as we went up the stairs to the exam room our wonderful cookery teacher quietly gave us some tips on what to make. During those years we did all types of baking and meals from scratch - I still used the Christmas cake recipe years later. I then went on to catering college as my parents had a hotel and the plan was for me to join my dad in the kitchen (fate had other plans) he did all the cooking - no training but a wonderful chef all the same. I think it was there where I went off the whole idea as it was catering on a mass scale. The college had a restaurant open to the public so we had to prepare, serve and clear up every day. I came away with two skills - to fill jam tarts by hand (no spoon) and silver service waitressing. I did realise I was more interested in the typing and accounting sessions we had which was the path I took . My youngest son also did cookery at school and is a great cook - he did a cookery course down in Devon some years ago and also worked in restaurants and pubs in London to eek out his income as a musician. They both ensure they feed their boys on good nutritious fresh food and don't use processed meals at all despite a hectic work life.

All children should be taught to cook and make basic dishes from scratch. Doing it while they're young gives them the interest which hopefully goes with them into adulthood - I'm not sure it helps with the obesity problem though. All my female relatives were overweight - they certainly didn't have processed, fatty foods!

Some schools - even secondaries - have no food teaching facilities, and there aren't a lot of Food Tech teachers about these days.

I agree with the idea, but two parents working full-time means there are enough hours in the day, nor is there enough energy to shop and cook meals from scratch. And single parents working full-time... they need all the help they can get.

I had both domestic science classes and sewing classes at the Secondary Modern school I was attending and it taught me a great deal but I will also say that my mother also taught us from an early age by having us help her with the cooking and sewing. How many young people these days know how to make bias binding? My son had cooking lessons at his school when he was about 14, the class was called survival for boys| and the girls spent a term doing home maintenance. Yes all children should be taught to cook but we must also go back to the old fashion way of al sitting down once a day and eating together.

Like other bloggers,I went to a Grammar school and we only had half a term when we did Domestic Science.
I was taught how to cut a packet of margarine into 8equal portions,how to make ginger biscuits and semolina with meringue on top.
Oh and we did fruit salad with the fruit soaked in sugar solution.
I dislike cooking and would happily live off salads.

I don't know any other way than home cooking for the family. I've been brought up having enjoyed mum's cooking/baking to such a degree that as a family we wouldn't have it any other way. Being alone I still bother to cook for myself and have ( enjoy ) my Sunday roast which also ties me over to Monday. Takeaways or fast foods were never on the menu as even now you'd never know what you were eating, and I value my gut !
Even working and bringing up 4 children many years ago I still managed to cook an evening meal.

I think you have to enjoy cooking/baking to make it work. Always catered for at least 15 at Christmas------I don't now though, but guess what, for all my scoffing over the years I've stayed as slim now in my 78th year as I was in my teens ??

How about sweetbreads coming back on the menu ? Any thoughts ?

I went to Grammar School too, BBbevan, but Domestic Science was one of the options offered. It wasn't an easy option either with both theory and practical exams including the science of food as the name suggests. I also remember the Christmas cake in the fourth form and still use the recipe today. I'm sorry to say that many of the "can't cook won't cook" brigade just suffer from laziness. It is cheaper to cook from scratch, more nutritious and more tasty. I had a very demanding job which meant a lot of travel and still cooked for my family including freezer meals for when I was away. My DILs now do the same - too busy is not a genuine excuse.

I went to a grammar school where we had Domestic Science lessons, our teacher was wonderful. Taught us how to cook, sew and iron properly. We also had deportment lessons and taught how to speak correctly, stood me in good stead I can tell you. We also had the opportunity to learn any musical instrument we wished. Like a public school, I guess.

I loved my domestic science lessons at Grammar School and remember making a rice pudding which I then took home in the saddle bag of my bike which I always rode. By the time I got home the whole saddle bag was a complete mess. Rice pudding all over my homework etc.
In needlework we all had to make a summer dress in the colours of our school uniform, which I then wore for two summers.
It was an absolutely brilliant school, in Torquay, and I'm pleased to say that it's still going strong.

If I remember rightly GIRLs only learnt how to cook at secondary school BIYS were exempt from this female role. As long as domestic science includes the boys I’m all for it. It was all lost on me as my mother made sure us four girls and two boys could all cook, clean and iron they’re own clothes by the age of 10.I cooked my first roast lunch at 11. My grandson already has cookery lessons at school (11)...and enjoys them...but again he’s been cooking with his parents and me since he could use a wooden spoon. He made Chelsea buns the other day at school ...a little chewy... but good first attempt! Yes I agree people who say I haven’t the time ...I always want to ask what they’re doing with time saved. Maybe watching Strictly...or Can’t cook won’t cook....or Jamie Oliver cooking up a storm. Laziness is rife among the new mums and young mums.

I enjoyed domestic science, hated needlework ,but no child has to be malnourished these days as so many were during the days of rationing. What parent in the 21C hasn't internet connection where you can visit the supermarkets and see food offers. For example I purchased the following on offer at half price, six chicken portions, large bag of rice, Kg bag of frozen mixed veg and two jars of cookin sauce .Very little prep needed to produce as many meals as I wanted and no imagination needed either. I recently counted five 'takeaways' within a mile of the supermarket I made my bargain food purchases. Say no more.

Barmy wrote
" we must also go back to the old fashion way of all sitting down once a day and eating together.*
I think that's a good idea, plus cut down snacking between meals.
Jamie Oliver started a series where he helped families who had never cooked a proper meal to start with simple dishes.
It didn't last long, people dropped out for various reasons. Sometimes they didn't have a proper cooker, or essential pots and pans. and couldn't afford to buy them.
Another good point about people working long hours and coming home too tired to cook so they go out for a cheap meal.
Some of our family do that.

We had to make an apron and cap before our domestic science lessons. We had a thoroughly good grounding of all the basics, pastry, cakes, biscuits, how to cook meat, vegetables, make gravy. Gutting a mackerel and making kedgeree are the only two things I never repeated.