Why Study Food Preparation and Nutrition? 

This qualification will equip you with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to cook and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating.

The qualification will encourage you to cook and make informed decisions about a wide range of further learning, opportunities and career pathways, as well as develop life skills that enable you to feed yourself and others affordably, now and in later life.

You Will study: 

Nutrition 

You will learn about the relationship between diet and health and how a balanced diet can support good health at different stages of life. You will also learn about major diet-related health issues and food allergies and intolerances. 

Food Provenance and Food Choice 

You will learn about food sources and how they are grown, reared or caught. The stages of food processing and differences between industrial and domestic food processing and preserving methods. 

You will study the impact of food and food security on society, local and global markets and the environment, alongside moral/ethical and environmental issues involved in food production. 

Cooking and Food Preparation 

Throughout the course there will be an emphasis on developing and practising your food preparation and cooking skills with 50% of lessons in Year 10 used for practical sessions. This will include high-level skills such as filleting, piping and pâtisserie. 

You will discover how preparation and cooking methods affect nutritional value and improve texture, flavour, appearance and aroma. You will study the importance of the senses of sight, taste, touch, smell and hearing and how they work when making food choices. 

You will also learn about food safety and preventing cross-contamination and food poisoning. 

 

Assessment

50% external assessment by examination and 50% non-examined assessment. 

Written examination

You will sit a written examination which is one hour and 30 minutes and is worth 50% of your overall qualification. 

Non-examined assessment 

You will need to complete two tasks. The first task assesses your understanding of the scientific principles underlying the preparation and cooking of food. 

The second task requires you to prepare, cook and present three dishes within a single period of no more than three hours and plan, in advance, how this will be achieved.