Ready, steady .... cook!
Mama Sue is keen to make sure that our wonderful family of kids don't have everything done for them and that they are as equipped as they can before the time ahead when they will lead an independent life.
Mama Sue says: "We need to do all we can so that when they are old enough to leave the Happy House we will know that can cope with the hard and difficult world of Kenya."
Young Farmers Klub is already a great success and the first crops, grown by the kids, now being harvested.
This weekend Mama Sue launched the Happy House Kidz Kookery Klub... sounds a simple idea to put into action but, as with everything in Kenya, it was far from that.
Sue tells me: "On Wednesday, Dave and I went to the shops as we need the ingredients and equipment to teach 25 children some simple recipes.
"We searched at least 15 shops in Malindi for rolling pins, mixing bowls, wooden spoons etc but were still unable to find any baking tins. Very few people here have ovens so there are no utensils on sale.
"In one shop I found a tin of Golden Syrup and how happy was I? Dave and was laughing at my reaction .. talk about simple pleasures!"
By Saturday, armed with tried and trusted Bero recipes, Mama Sue was set to take her first Kookery Club with 25 children divided into groups of five and all cooking something different.
First they lined the random assortment of tins (ones Mama has taken out to Kenya with her from the UK), before making pastry followed by a variety of fillings - treacle tart, jam tart, baked egg custard, sweet cheesy tart made with currants and cottage cheese.
After lunch everyone tucked into a pastry.
"Harry came back to me three times with his little hand held out ... I think we'll call him Oliver from now on.
"A delicious time was had by all."
Mama adds: "All meals here consist of rice, ugali, greens or vegetables. Everything looks and tastes pretty much the same. Nobody eats salad or simple steamed veg. Everything is chopped and thrown into the pot and made into a soup. So this is a real journey of discovery for our children.
This Saturday some of the children will be making buns, chocolate, sultana and butterfly, and the other two groups will be making lunch.
"We decided on homemade beefburgers, which can be barbecued outside, and salad. The kitchen staff will make the bread buns on Friday afternoon."
Mama Sue has found another cookery book and in future weeks Kookery Klub will be making spaghetti bolognaise, sausage rolls, quiche, roast potatoes with fresh vegetables.
"So many things the children have never tasted, and are so excited to be making and even more excited to be eating!"
The only drawback is equipment. So if anyone has anything they'd like to send we would be so grateful... bun cases, baking trays, bun tins,cake decorations anything that could help make the Happy House Kidz Kookery Klub more fun!
Silicone cases would be really fantastic, if anybody has some they've bought and rarely used, because they'll last and won't go rusty.
If you would like to post something out to our budding chefs the address is Sue Hayward's Happy House, PO Box 796, Watamu, Kenya, East Africa.
Thank you, as always, for caring.
