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Food Technology

Curriculum Overview

Vision

"To ignite a passion for healthy living, discover the joy of cooking, and flourish through nutritious food choices."

This vision statement emphasises the importance of inspiring students to develop a love for healthy living and an appreciation for the role that food plays in promoting overall well-being. By teaching students the skills and knowledge necessary to prepare nutritious, delicious meals, Food Preparation and Nutrition programs can help them discover the joy and satisfaction of cooking, and flourish as confident, capable, and health-conscious individuals who are equipped to make informed food choices that support their long-term health and well-being.

 

Disciplinary Concepts

  • Food, nutrition and health

  • Food science

  • Food safety

  • Food Choice

  • Food provenance

 

Curriculum Map

Year 7

What will you learn in Year 7 Food Technology?

  • How to be safe and hygienic in the kitchen

  • The 4 C’s 

  • What is the Eatwell Guide

  • Modifying recipes to make them healthier

  • The 4 dietary goals

 

Year 8 

What will you learn in Year 8 Food Technology?

  • How to be safe and hygienic in the kitchen

  • Food commodities 

  • Gelatinisation 

  • Food waste

  • Nutritional needs of people

  • Yeast and bread making

  • 5 a day 

  • International Cuisine 

 

Year 9

What will you learn in Year 9 Food Technology?

  • food hygiene and safety

  • bread roll experiment 

  • factors affecting food choice

  • food provenance

  • functions of nutrients

  • excess and deficiency of nutrients

  • enzymic browning

  • food labelling and marketing 

 

Year 10

In the first year of GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition students will develop a working knowledge and understanding of the arrangement of specified materials and their working properties- This will allow students to expand their making skills and vocabulary for them to answer the terminal exam paper and both NEA tasks. Through specific theory lessons and Homework tasks students will practise exam technique in answering a range of questions on the materials topics to prepare them fully for the terminal examination.

Autumn Term

  • Functional properties of ingredients related to use 

  • What is the correct vocabulary to use in an exam response?

  • What is the eatwell guide, do we have it and how is it used?

  • What are the nutritional needs of teenagers? 

  • Sensory evaluation – star profiling

  • Nutrition (categories and types, sources, functions, deficiency, excess)

  • Macronutrients 

  • Micronutrients

  • Water soluble vitamins

  • Minerals

 

Spring Term

  • Functional properties of ingredients related to use 

  • What is the correct vocabulary to use in an exam response?

  • Meal planning

  • Nutritional analysis 

  • Nutritional needs of different life stages Meal planning for life stages, including; Toddlers, Children, Adolescents, Adults, Elderly

  • Special Dietary Needs

  • Balance of energy/ BMI/ BMR

  • Heat transfer.

 

Summer Term

  • Functional properties of ingredients related to use 

  • What is the correct vocabulary to use in an exam response?

  • Preservation of foods including jamming, pickling, freezing, drying, osmosis. 

  • Properties of protein including; Protein denaturation, protein coagulation.

  • Microorganisms including; spoilage, food safety, food poisoning,.

  • Factors affecting food choice.

  • Raising agents including; chemical, (baking powder) mechanical, 

  • Sustainability including; Locally grown/ sourced, farm shop, traffic 

 

Year 11 

Students will complete their NEA securing 50% of their final grade before external moderation. Students will develop an understanding and gain confidence in exam techniques and practise exams skills required for the terminal paper based on their theory and practical knowledge from the last 2 years.

Autumn Term

  • What is the correct vocabulary to use in an exam response?

  • Can similar ingredients produce different results?

  • How does the choice of ingredients and their functional properties affect the aesthetic and organoleptic qualities of a food product?

  • Can the tools and equipment used in the making of a dish change the final product?

  • Does the method used in the making of a dish impact the final product?

 

Spring Term

  • Functional properties of ingredients related to use 

  • What is the correct vocabulary to use in an exam response?

  • What research is appropriate to gain information in relation to the task e.g. nutritional needs of the target group, relevant ingredients etc?

  • How to select and adapt appropriate recipes.

  • How to adapt existing recipes to develop imaginative, creative and innovative ideas and meet the needs of the target user, including nutritional needs.

  • How to pick and adapt recipes to showcase a wide range of skills and high levels of competence.

  • What needs to be included in the plan of working for the 3 hour practical activity.

 

Summer Term

  • What is the correct vocabulary to use in an exam response?

  • How do we plan the answer to a 6, 8, 10 and 12 mark question? 

  • What are command words and how do we use them effectively? 

  • Where can I practise exam technique? 

  • What is PEED? How does PEED increase my exam marks? 

  • What is key vocabulary? 

  • What is technical vocabulary? 

  • What areas of previous knowledge do I need to revisit?

  • How do I revise?

 

Assessments

Year 7

  • Develop safe making skills when working with food ingredients. 

  • Personal preparation re food safety

  • Weighing using scales

  • All in one creaming method

  • Rubbing in method, cutting in method

  • Safe use of gas/ electric hob, safe use of gas/ electric grill

  • Washing up

  • Bridge and claw grips when cutting foods

 

Year 8

  • Develop safe making skills when working with food ingredients. 

  • Personal preparation re food safety

  • Weighing using scales

  • All in one creaming method

  • Rubbing in method, cutting in method

  • Safe use of gas/ electric hob, safe use of gas/ electric grill

  • Washing up

  • Bridge and claw grips when cutting foods

 

Year 9

  • Continue to develop safe making skills when working with food ingredients

  • Building on skills from previous years e.g. tomato sauce in Year 8 to bolognese sauce in Year 9. 

  • More food science experiments are taught in Year 9 to build into the GCSE curriculum.   

 

Year 10 

Autumn Term

  • Demonstrate key vocabulary and terminology when completing practice exam questions. 

  • Sensory evaluation Tasting word banks, star profile, hedonic ranking, triangle preference testing, sensory characteristics

  • Chilli con carne; Dicing onion, dry fry, lean, simmer, season, sautee, mycoprotein, combining protein, LBV protein, soya, quinoa, TVP, alternative protein, denaturation,

  • Savoury muffins / Carrot cake Weighing, grating, zest, increasing fibre, reducing sugar, Raising agent, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder

  • Tear and share bread; bread making, yeast as a raising agent, knead, shape.

  • ACE Soup , Julienne, slice, dice, bridge and claw, peeling, increase viscosity, gelatinisation, simmer

  • Feta pepper and spinach flan, shortcrust pastry, baking blind, rubbing in, cutting in method, rolling out, shortening, wilt, coagulation, denature, reduced fat, 

  • Mac and cheese; Increase viscosity, starch, gelatinisation, 

  • Swiss roll/yule log; whisking method, folding in, weighing, foam, hand held electric whisk, grease & line swiss roll tin, butter icing,

 

Spring Term

  • Demonstrate key vocabulary and terminology when completing practice exam questions.

  • Adapting recipes to meet nutritional needs. 

  • Sensory analysis, Hedonic ranking, triangle preference testing, 

  • Gastro beef/ veggie burger & wedges; shaping, forming, binding, baking, shallow fry, cut, dextrinase

    • Fish cakes & salad; peeling, flake, mashing, forming, baking, shallow fry, enrobe, crust, crumb,

    • Marinated chicken & salad; denature, marinade, marinate, cross contamination, 

    • Fish & two veg pie; types of potato, roux, gelatinisation, peeling,

    • Layered dessert; baking blind, rubbing in, cutting in method, rolling out, 

  • Lasagne/ Homemade pasta and a sauce; reduction, gelatinisation, 00 flour, pasta machine, dice, slice, julienne, sautee, reduction sauce, roux, béchamel, viscosity, thicken, grate, pasta, ragu, 

  • Chicken/ Halloumi kebab and couscous; slice, julienne, denature, tenderise, marinade, marinate, prevent cross contamination, garnish.

  • Heat transfer; Conduction, Convection, Radiation, Microwaving, 

 

Summer Term

  • Victoria sandwich cake weighing, preheating oven, traditional v all in one creaming method, sifting, portioning, aerating, caramelisation, dextrinisation

  • Puff pastry cheese straws, Danish pastries/cheese twists, Flaky pastry, puff pastry, rolling and folding to trap air, lamination, layers  

  • Meringue/ lemon meringue tartlets; protein denaturation, protein coagulation, foam formation, trapping air, whisking,

  • Profiteroles; steam as a raising agent, double boiler, bain-marie, choux pastry, 

  • Raspberry/ strawberry jam, jam making, preservation, setting with pectin, 

  • Chutney making, pH level, preservation, sterilisation 

  • pickling, pH level, preservation, sterilisation

  • blanching and freezing vegetables, 

  • drying herbs in a microwave/ dehydrator

  • Mini NEA, Investigation e.g. the best flour to use in fairy cakes, gluten, plain, white, soft, rice wholemeal, rye, 

  • Bake off show-stopper, make a dish which showcases the best of British e.g. locally sourced ingredients in season

 

Year 11 

Autumn Term

Students will begin their NEA 1 in September which represents 15% of their final grade.

  • Produce a hypothesis in relation to the task set by the exam board.

  • Identify areas for research.

  • Complete research tasks.

  • Plan appropriate practical investigation activities

  • Conduct and record appropriate practical investigation activities

  • Conduct and record appropriate testing

  • Reflect on tasks and evaluate findings against research and hypothesis.

 

Spring Term

Students will begin their NEA2 in February which represents 35% of their final grade. 

  • Research and use appropriate information in relation to the task e.g. nutritional needs of the target group, relevant ingredients etc.

  • Select and adapt appropriate recipes in response to a given task set by the exam board and meet the needs of the user/target group.

  • Trial and develop a range of dishes to test and experiment specific ingredients or skills in preparation for the 3 hour practical activity.

  • Produce a comprehensive plan of working

  • Use Nutritional Analysis tools to evaluate how the range of dishes produced meet the nutritional needs of the target user.

  • Evaluate the final menu against the original task.

 

Summer Term

Students will complete a terminal written exam during towards the end of this term which represents 50% of their final grade

  • Produce exemplar answers to exam questions?

  • Know how to plan extended answer questions?

  • Demonstrate the use of correct technical and key vocabulary within a given question?

  • Practise timed exam responses and planning?

  • Develop revision methods suitable to aid individual revision needs.