Croque-monsieur, s’il vous plaît!

An innovative cross-curricular lesson combining cookery and French proved popular with Year 8 pupils.

Modern Foreign Languages teacher Gillian Ross liaised with Food Technology teacher Sheila Patel, who arranged for a demonstration of how to cook a croque-monsieur – a toasted sandwich comprising two slices of bread and a slice of cheese with ham (or tomatoes for a vegetarian option) which is then cooked in a frying pan with butter. 

The demonstration was conducted in a mixture of English and French to allow pupils to revise the vocabulary they had already learned in the classroom.

“The boys have been studying the topic of Manger et Boire [eating and drinking] in French and we thought it would be a good idea to do some practical cookery to reinforce the vocabulary they have been learning,” said trainee MFL teacher Stephanie Bouhraoua.

“We felt this was an imaginative and educationally enriching way to use the School’s new Food Technology area,” she added. “The boys were disciplined, but very enthusiastic and proud of themselves. Many told me that they tried to make them at home to show their mums what they had learned.”