For the past eight years, Worldchefs has invited hospitality professionals to join its initiative in educating children around the globe about the importance of healthy eating and sustainability through workshops, competitions, and recipes.

The leading professional body for chefs in the UK, the Craft Guild of Chefs, has lent its support to the day by releasing two delicious and nutritious children’s recipes from within its membership. The children’s recipes come from dairy experts, Lakeland Dairies, and one of the UK’s largest food businesses Premier Foods.

Andrew Green, chief executive of The Craft Guild of Chefs, commented: “As a prominent professional organisation for chefs, we are delighted to help celebrate International Chefs Day and to show our appreciation for chefs’ resilience, creativity, and hard work, especially in the current climate. We hope as many chefs as possible join in around the globe, sharing nutritious dishes for children.”

The two recipes are a delicious Shredded Butter Chicken Curry from Lakeland Dairies and a scrumptious Bisto Pumpkin Lasagne from Premier Foods.

Premier Foods’ Bisto Pumpkin Lasagne

• Prep: 40 minutes
• Cook: 40 minutes
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 75g butter
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1.5kg pumpkin, diced
• 50g McDougalls Plain Flour
• 1L milk
• 40g Bisto Vegetable Bouillon
• 1kg fresh spinach, wilted and drained
• 2g fresh sage, chopped
• 400g cheese, grated
• 400g fresh lasagne sheets

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, gas mark 4.

2. In a pan, melt the butter. Add the diced onion, garlic and pumpkin and cook for about five minutes so the pumpkin starts to colour. Add the flour and stir.

3. Gradually add milk, stirring so it makes a smooth sauce. Add the Bisto Vegetable Bouillon to flavour and season the sauce.

4. Add the wilted spinach and sage, then simmer for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and add half of the grated cheese.

5. Build your lasagne in a lightly greased ovenproof dish, starting with a thin layer of pumpkin and spinach sauce, followed by lasagne sheets and then again with the sauce. Repeat until all ingredients are used.

6. Top lasagne with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven at 180°C, 350°F, gas mark4 for about 40 minutes.

Tips

Butternut squash makes a delicious alternative to pumpkin

Lakeland Dairies’ Shredded Butter Chicken Curry

• Serves 20

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1600g Chicken thighs, boneless skinless and cut into large chunks
• 100g yoghurt
• 100g Millac Gold Single
• 20g Garam masala spice
• 60g Garlic, minced
• 30g Ginger minced
• 10g Turmeric powder
• 10g Cumin powder
• 4g Cayenne
• 8g Salt

For the Curry:

• 60ml Olive oil
• 120g Lakeland Dairies Pure Irish Butter
• 400g Onion chopped
• 1400g Tikka masala curry paste
• 400g Millac Gold Single

Method

For the chicken:

1. Combine the chicken with all the ingredients and marinade for at least one hour

2. Arrange on a tray and cook in an oven at 180C for around 15 minutes

3. Once cooked, shred the chicken either with hand or a knife

4. Keep aside

For the curry:

1. Fry the onions until golden brown

2. Add the curry paste and cook for 30 seconds

3. Add the Millac Gold Single and the shredded chicken

4. Cook for 10 minutes

5. Serve with rice or naan bread

Tip

This recipe also works great as a stuffing for a roll with naan or pita bread!