Walkwood Middle School in Reddich was looking for an absorbing creative activity to engage their students during SATS week. Rather than students getting stressed between exams, franticly cramming each afternoon for the next morning's test, the school wanted them to be relaxed and refreshed. Stan's Cafe were called in to help deliver this absorbing creative activity.

Our idea was that SATS Week should end with a celebratory banquet for all Year 6 and that the students would prepare through the week. To help ensure the banquet was special we recruited the food designers Blanch and Shock and teamed them with Stan's Cafe Associate Artist Chris Dugrenier. The resultant banquet gave each of the six form groups in Year 6 responsibility for one dish, with each dish based on a different taste Sweet, Sour, Salt, Bitter, Piquant and Omami. As well as helping prepare the food each group was responsible for the staging / presentation of their dish. The results to be tasty and spectacular.

Photographs by John Bell

Dramaturge: Chris Dugrenier
Food Design: Blanch and Shock
Creative Agent: Iris Bertz
From and Idea by: James Yarker
Photography: John Bell
Funded by BrightSpace, Birmingham as part of Creative Partnerships.