The Big Lunch Schools Resources – Key Stage 3-4, Activity 1
Learning objectives – to learn about and experience communal eating; how to
describe flavours; create your own flavour combinations
Resources
 allergy/food questionnaires to be completed and signed by parents before
participating in the class
 basic ingredients to make biscuits (flour, eggs, sugar, butter)
 tasting ingredients prepared in bowls (see list of ingredients in TASK SHEET 3)
 flow chart of biscuit making (TASK SHEET 2)
 list of available flavourings for biscuit making
 loaf of bread to demonstrate ‘breaking of bread’
 Community Meals PPT
Introduction

Teacher breaks bread at front of the class, what does this action symbolise?
(religious, communal eating, sharing)

Show pupils Community Meals PPT – can pupils identify what activity is taking place
in each slide? E.g. wedding supper, lunch, street party, feast day etc. Which ones
have they been to recently? Any more to add to the list? What do they enjoy about
eating together with others?

Explain that pupils will be working towards their own communal eating event: The Big
Lunch – they will design and bake their own biscuits and share them with their
classmates
Main

Introduce the word ‘palate’ – students will be testing their palate in a blind tasting
competition: pupils are blindfolded and put in teams. Each team ‘blind tastes’ a
food/flavouring and writes down what they think it is.

Feedback – blindfolds off, teacher reveals the flavours and the team with the most
correct answers wins.

Which of these flavours would make interesting/weird combinations? Do any of the
students have strange flavour combinations or preferences? E.g. Americans and
peanut butter with jelly on toast

Pupils receive TASK SHEET 1 – either directly from a school chef who explains it
and/or on piece of folded paper (attached) which is to design and make biscuits for
each other which use original and unusual flavours

What are the ingredients for a basic biscuit dough? (sugar butter flour egg yolk)

Students complete TASK SHEET 2 - ordering the biscuit making process on cards
(see below)

Pupils pair up and begin to design and name their biscuit with 2 added ingredients,
they can use the blind tasting flavours to help (a list of available flavourings will be
needed)

Pupils make their biscuits
Plenary
 Pupils sit down together to share biscuits, each pair presenting their own and vote on
the worst, best, crunchiest, most original flavour combination, best appearance. If
possible, invite the school chef in to share and judge
 What is the point of communal eating? How did you feel sitting together as a group?
Did you enjoy it? What benefits does it have? Any negatives?
Extension

Design a poster advertising The Big
Lunch event
Homework

Write up the event as a newspaper
report