I am aware that my current succession of posts are direct contradiction. I would just like to clarify that I am participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme solely for my own benefit and not because I feel any sort of “duty” towards the sovereignty.

With all that out of the way I’d like to say an all encompassing welcome back to my readers and a wider embrace to those who have had the fortune of discovering this page for the first time. In the time we have been apart I turned 16 and completed my Bronze Award and have proceeded to move on to Silver. I will hopefully be able to give you weekly updates on my progress.

Week 1 – One pot Moroccan Chicken

To begin my Skills section of my Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award with the target of improving my cooking aptitude I made Moroccan chicken. I found the recipe on the BBC Good Food website and decided to give it a go. The dish featured some strange ingredients and used up a considerable amount of spices such as ginger and cinnamon.

I had an initial mini crisis where I reached out for the brown sugar, when sealing off the chicken, in the cupboard above and the red food colouring fell from the height and opened in the process dying the fowl an offensive vermillion. This was met with a mix of fury and hysterical laughter from mother and father respectively.

During the task I learnt several things, how to make a paste using the food processor, how to prepare a butternut squash and the importance of efficient cupboard layout. The end result was in the most part a success, the crimson chicken was disguised by a sauce that had an orange hue anyway. I was not able to win over the fussiness of my sister but other family members seemed to appreciate the dish adequately.