Jamie Oliver´s Food Revolution Day 2015: Foraging for Wild Garlic, a Quiche & a Picnic

Today, Friday May 15th, 2015 marks the fourth annual Food Revolution Day. This is a day of global action created by Jamie Oliver and the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation to engage and inspire people of all ages to learn about food and how to cook it. This year, Food Revolution Day is a global campaign to put compulsory food education back on the school curriculum. Jamie Oliver passionately believes that by educating children about food in a fun and engaging way, we can equip them with the basic skills they need to lead healthier, happier lives, for themselves and their future families.

So today´s task for the French Fridays with Dorie group is to choose a recipe or a technique we have learned from Around my French Table that we think is a “must know”.

First off, I have to admit that around here getting (other people´s) children interested in learning about the foods they eat and the way to prepare them, is not always the easiest of tasks and it is a bit like walking a fine line between wanting to teach children and being considered a bit of a show-off. My dear fellow compatriots always look for what they call "qualifications" - what exactly "qualifies" you to teach my children about food...you are what...a food blogger...who is Jamie Oliver (he does speak English after all)...what exactly is the "what do you call this"...Food Revolution Day...(I shall spare you the rest, which oftentimes includes some very discernible smirks...). Unfortunately, there was also no way I could have cooked with children in the school´s kitchen. No such luck as there are the present holidays, the lack of insurance, etc. And my own personal kitchen is most definitely too small.

But I have participated for the third time this year, albeit in a more quiet way. I believe that I have taught our own children so much about food in the last couple of years, that I am quite sure that they will grow up to make a lot of right choices when it come to their eating habits.

So, to stay true to my own philosophy about food, food preparation and ingredients and to share a passion of mine - we decided to particpate this year by inviting a small group of our children´s friends over for a walk through our favorite park and some "hands on education" about local herbs and wild plants - for today we chose to concentrate on wild garlic.

Wild garlic can be found in meadows all over this country in April and May. It has a wonderful earthy flavor. Around here you can even stumble across some at a local park, as we did, so make sure to keep your eyes open. But if not, you should be able to get hold of some wild garlic at good green grocers or your local farmer's market. You can also sort of mimic the flavor of wild garlic by adding some fresh young spinach and a couple of cloves of regular garlic to this quiche, so you still get a wonderful garlicky taste.

We were lucky with respect to the weather - a gorgeous day - and spent the day playing, learning about lots of different local wild plants and herbs, picking fresh wild garlic and enjoying an absolutely delicious Wild Garlic and Ham Quiche. Here is where today´s assignment comes in, I used Dorie Greenspan´s Tart Dough (page 498-9) that I think absolutely every child/student can learn how to make and should know - there is no, absolutely no end to the possibilities of what you can add to quiche. But I have a very soft spot for this particular quiche. I love, love using seasonal, local herbs in my cooking and try to share that passion with our children. It is so important to show children that some of the best ingredients grow right in front of their noses, all they have to do is learn about them and always keep their eyes open. An important lesson. No doubt.

There is no better place to enjoy a piece of still warm quiche (I wrapped them in towels and more towels) while sitting in your favorite local park - just ask my very happy picnic participants.

Time to relax with good, homemade food and share it with family and friends must be one of the great luxuries of life.

Taking our Food Revolution activities outside was a great idea - something that I am looking forward to repeating - Mother Nature has so much to offer and it is certainly a more relaxed environment for everyone than my teeny, tiny kitchen.

So, equipped with copies of Dorie´s Tart Dough recipe (in the translated version, of course)  as well as The Kitchen Lionesses Wild Garlic and Ham Quiche recipe and bags full of freshly picked wild garlic - to make their own quiches at home -  I believe our own reflective, more quiet version of the Food Revolution Day 2015 was a nice success.

To see what initiative the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group came up with on this day, please go here.

To take a look at Dorie Grenspan´s recipe for the Tart Dough, you can go here.

To get s copy of my Wild Garlic & Smoked Ham Quiche, just stay tuned.

“By educating children about food in a practical, fun and engaging way, we can provide them with the knowledge and skills they so urgently need to lead healthier, happier lives. We need to make practical food education a compulsory part of every school curriculum across the world, and that’s why I’ve launched a petition calling on all G20 countries to action this. With enough support from millions of people around the world, I truly believe that we can create a movement that’s powerful enough to make governments take action.” Jamie Oliver

Hear, hear!