It all started as a pretty normal trip out for Beth and her Support Workers, Vicki and Michael. A trip to Argos followed by a quick supermarket shop to get some food - a fairly common occurrence for most of us but for Beth, it was particularly exciting as at Argos, she picked up some new pans and utensils and was eager to get them home and test them out.
Vicki could see that Beth was excited and knowing she often enjoys mashed potatoes, she asked Beth if she would like to make her own in her new pans instead of getting the ready made mash from the shop as she often does. Beth was really intrigued and wanted to get going. With a big smile on her face, Beth said "yeah" so when Vicki told her they could also make some apple crumble and have it with some custard, Beth started to stim a little bit and her smile got bigger and bigger before exclaiming "yeah, yeah".
Vicki helped Beth to peel the potatoes as they embarked on their culinary journey together. After the potatoes were prepared, Beth chopped the potatoes independently and put them in her brand new pan. After that, she then poured water over the top of them and placed them on the hob. They were ready to be turned on and the creation of Moorview Care's best mashed potatoes was underway.
As Vicki was draining the potatoes, Michael asked Beth if the mash he makes for her is any good... Let's just say, when someone laughs and says 'stink, lumpy' about your cooking, that may not be the best review! All in good fun though, Beth began mashing her potatoes whilst having a joke with Michael about his cooking.
With the mash made and ready to be eaten shortly, Beth got going and began to peel the apples for her crumble with Vicki's help. Beth chopped the apples independently and put them in the pan. She sprinkled a bit of sugar on them and stirred the apples very carefully as the hob was hot. Beth said 'hot' and knew not to touch the hob itself. The apples were then poured into a dish and Beth sprinkled the crumble mix over and placed it in the oven which Beth had already pre-heated by setting it to the right temperature. Using her phone, Beth set an alarm so she knew when the crumble would be ready and went to have a well earned sit down whilst her creation was cooking!
"Setting a timer on Beth's phone proved to be a great way for her to understand that all food/recipes need to be cooked for varied amounts of time. Beth can be quite impatient at times - like we all can when waiting for our yummy creations to be made - but showed amazing patience and understanding when given the alarm." - Vicki, Beth's Support Worker and Sous Chef!
Not long had passed and the alarm was ringing! Beth and her sous chefs headed back into the kitchen to check on the crumble. Vicki took the crumble out of the oven and although Beth was keen to give it a taste test, she patiently waited for it to cool down, whilst digging into her mashed potato. Whilst she was eating her first creation, Michael posed another question to Beth: if she had to chose which mashed potato she liked best, which would it be?
A: Shop bought
B: Michael's mash (which I think from the previous answer, may have been a bit optimistic)
C: Beth & Vicki's mash
A big smile came across Beth's face as she exclaimed: "Beth & Vicki!" whilst giving Vicki a big hug.
It was time to give creation 2 a try - apple crumble! Beth dished up half her crumble and added a nice amount of custard to it as well (a must with apple crumble). It was placed in the microwave to warm through and was then thoroughly enjoyed with lots of 'mmm' noises along the way. Beth's Support Workers asked her if was yummy like the mash and if she was happy and the response was of course "Yeah! Very good and happy."
For Beth, the task of making her own food is not as straight forward as it is for others. Vicki explained:
"Beth is very capable of making her own food with guidance and experimenting with different foods! She was really confident when chopping the food but perhaps a little weary when it came to things being hot like the oven and the hob - which is great that she was able to recognise the slight danger there. With more experience of using her cooker, she will gain independence and become more confident, I'm sure." - Vicki, Beth's Support Worker and Sous Chef!
Overall, this was a really, really great day for Beth, Vicki and Michael! Beth's Aunt was kept updated at all times with photos and messages, as Beth was just so excited to share her culinary delights with her Aunt as she was so proud!
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