AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition

NEA 2 35% of final GCSE

For NEA 2 you will produce a written assessment consisting of about 20 sides of A4 and a practical exam
where you will make 3 dishes and their accompaniments in 3 hours to show a range of technical skill. Work will
be marked as follows:

Section A: Research relevant to chosen task 6 marks

Section B: Skills trial of relevant dishes 18 marks
Section C: Choose and plan final menu 8 marks
Section D: Make in 3 hours 30 marks
Section E: Test, Analyse and Evaluate 8 marks
Total time is 20 hours/ Total marks are 70 marks

Photographic evidence with name and candidate number of all parts of the assessment is essential.

Important dates: (Write into your planner)

Start date: 23rd November 2017
Work to be completed: Finished by:
Research and skills trials 2nd Feb 2018
Planning of Task (Menu choice, reasons for choice, plan for 23rd Feb 2018
making)
3 hour practical exam 26th or 27th Feb 2018
Evaluating the task 16th March 2018
FINAL HAND IN DEADLINE
16th March 2018
Also available on www.keswickfood.weebly.com and Shared>Secondary>Technology>GCSE
Food Preparation and Nutrition > NEA 2

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Marking Criteria and Grade Boundaries
Investigation and Planning
Please use the following as a guide to the lay out of your NEA 2.
Titles and description Feedback
→ ?
In exam user area open word and save as “NEA 2”
 Insert Header with Name and Candidate number

NEA Task 2 Outline: Write your chosen task. Highlight the key words
Analysis of task and Research
Analyse the task by explaining the research you might need to do
Carry out research related to the task
Identify a range of dishes that might be suitable for the task eg by mind-mapping, or using annotated images
Select and justify a range of technical skills to be used in the making of different dishes.
Remember to write a source for any info Eg (Source: Mrs M’s Nutrition lesson) (Source: www.bbc.co.uk/food)
Skills trials: (18 marks)
Mind map all relevant ideas that meet the task.
Carry out 3 or 4 practical trials of a range of dishes from your mind map to showcase your skills. Write up
each one with photo, skills shown and skill level, suitability to the task, quality of appearance, taste and
texture.
Planning: (8 marks)
Choosing your menu:
Now you must develop 3 dishes from your trials to make in your final 3 hour exam. You must not have made
these dishes before. List your 3 chosen dishes as they would be shown on a menu with accompaniments.

Reasons for choice: (Explain why you have chosen the dishes you will make and what you will serve with
them. Use Specialist Catering terminology where ever possible) Points to include ….
Practical Skills: Explain the practical skill you will demonstrate. Explain if they are high, medium or low skill.
Nutrition: Explain how your meal meets the nutritional needs of the task and healthy eating.
Ingredients available and food provenance: Local and seasonal foods and environmental issues
Equipment and cooking methods: Explain how you can use labour saving/ quality improving equipment –
such as a food processor, hand blender, food mixer, bread maker, pasta maker to make these dishes?
Appearance, taste and texture: Do the dishes balance in colour, taste and texture?
Planning
Ingredients list with weights and measures
Timeplan with order of work, predicted timings and quality and safety points

Evaluation:
For each dish include:
Photo with labels to explain the dishes
Acceptability of appearance, taste and texture
Test and evaluate appearance, smell, taste and texture and your final dishes.
Add a star profile and have results from several testers. Add comments about your testers opinions.
Suggest improvements and developments to your meal.
Nutrition evaluation
Use Explore Food to do nutritional analysis of your final 3 dishes and comment on how well they meet healthy
eating guidelines and nutritional needs of relevant groups

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 Cost and portion size
(Use the costing recipes information on shared area or www.keswickfood.weebly.com website)
Calculate cost per portion of your final dishes. Comment on how reasonable this is and how economies could
be made.

Then add an overall comment about…

Improvements If you repeated the task again what improvements could you make.
Consider the actual dishes made in relation to nutrition, skills shown, finished appearance, taste and texture
of results; time management; final presentation. Explain the reasons for the changes you have suggested.
Add comment on any other improvements that could be made to whole project. Consider research, planning
and evaluation in this comment

Bibliography: Write a list of sources your used.

Mark Scheme
Researching the task (6marks)

Skills trial (18 marks)

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Planning (8 marks)

Making (30marks)

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Analyse and evaluate (8 Marks)

Specialist Terminology
To get high band marks you need to show “Very good use of terminology.”

Technical Terms
Here are some technical terms that you should use in your written work:

Skills for Meat and Vegetables Skills for Cakes and Biscuits Types of Pastry Types of Bread
Chopping
Creaming Rolls
Slicing Shortcrust
Rubbing-in Pizza
Dicing Flan/Biscuit
All–in-one Tortilla
Peeling Crust
Melting Naan
Grating Flaky/Rough/Puff/Choux/Filo
Whisking Pitta
Julienne
General Skills Decoration/Garnish Types of Sauces Desserts
Weighing/Measuring
Icing Whipping
Shaping Roux
Coating Gelatine
Cutting All-in-one
Glazing Chilling
Rolling out Blended
Piping Freezing
Folding Custard
Feathering Setting
Beating Coulis
Drizzling Layering
Sieving
Methods of Cooking Equipment
Grilling Blender (hand)
Oven
Electric whisk
Baking
Roasting Food Processor
Bain-marie
Liquidiser
Hob
Boiling
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 Mill/Grinder
Pasta maker
Steaming
Ice-cream maker
Poaching
Braising Rice cooker
Shallow frying
Steamer
Deep frying
Stir frying Electric wok
Microwave
Zester
Temperature Probe

Key Terms

Mise en place – Basic preparation prior to cooking.

Accompaniments – Items offered separately to main dish.
Al dente – Firm to the bite. Used to describe texture of pasta and vegetables.
Au gratin – Sprinkled with cheese or breadcrumbs and browned under the grill (e.g., fish pie, cauliflower cheese).

Bain-marie – A container of water to keep foods hot without fear of burning, or to cook something gently (e.g., lemon
curd or melting chocolate).
Brûlée – Burned cream (e.g. Crème brûlée).
Bouquet garni – A small bundle of herbs. Used to flavour soups, stocks, stews or Bolognese sauce.
Coulis – Sauce made from fruit or vegetable puree (e.g., Raspberry coulis).
Croutons – Cubes of bread that are fried or grilled. Use to garnish soup or salads.
En croute – In a pastry case (e.g., salmon en croute).
Entrée – Main course.
Flambé – To cook with flame by burning away the alcohol (e.g., crepes Suzette).
Garnish – Served as part of the main item to make the dish more colourful and appealing.
Marinade – A richly spiced liquid used to give flavour and assist in tenderising meat and fish.
Puree – A smooth mixture made from food passed through a sieve.
Reduce – To concentrate a liquid by boiling or simmering (e.g., when making soups or sauces).
Roux – A thickening of cooked flour and fat. Used as the base of a white/béchamel sauce.
Sauté – Tossed in hot fat.

Vegetable Cuts

Brunoises – Vegetables cut into small cubes. Used for sautéing, a chili garnish or
making garlic into a paste.

Chiffonade – Shredded herbs, lettuce, cabbage etc.

Jardinière – Vegetables cut into batons. Idea for stir fries or a vegetable accompaniment.

Julienne – Thin matchsticks. Used in stir fries or for a chili garnish.

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Macédoine – A mixture of finely cut vegetables or fruits, sometimes jellied, and served as a salad, a dessert, or an
appetizer. Popular for curries, stews, pastries etc.

Paysanne – Squares, circles, triangles, semi circles. Ideal for soup.

Carrying out the task (30 marks)

In order to gain high marks in this section, candidates need to demonstrate:

􀁹 High standards of personal hygiene e.g. wearing of apron / whites, hair back, no nail varnish, no jewellery, etc.
􀁹 Good personal hygiene habits e.g. no licking fingers, tasting with a clean teaspoon, etc.
􀁹 Safe use of equipment, especially knives, pans and electrical equipment
􀁹 Selection of the correct tools e.g. correct knife for chopping, peeling, etc.
􀁹 Use of a wide variety of commodities within the task chosen
􀁹 Good food hygiene e.g. perishable foods refrigerated and not left on work unit / table, using temperature probes to
ensure food is cooked
􀁹 Neat, organised work
􀁹 Safe use of cooker
􀁹 Working to time
􀁹 Independent working
􀁹 Good technical skills
􀁹 Little food waste
􀁹 Logical sequence of work e.g. food that needs to be cooked for a long time, be set or served cold needs to be made
first
􀁹 A wide variety of skills, including high level skills
􀁹 High standard of final presentation e.g. portion control, use of garnish and decoration, good colour, correct
temperature, correct texture, good flavour, appropriate serving dishes
􀁹 Good sequencing and dove-tailing of dishes so that all elements of the meal are served at the correct temperatures
􀁹 Appropriate serving of the meal

Presenting Food
The aim of a cook is to present food as near perfectly as possible. This involves:
• Consistency (how thin or how thick)
• Texture (includes crunchy, soft, crisp)
• Flavour (includes salty, sweet, sour, bitter, well seasoned)
• Seasoning (includes use of herbs, spices, salt and pepper)
• Colour (remember white, cream, brown and green are ‘dead’ colours)
• Decoration (used on sweet dishes – includes chocolate, cherries, fresh fruit etc
• Garnish (used on savoury dishes – includes tomato, parsley, lemon, cucumber, cress, etc.)
• Accompaniments – these include colourful vegetables and sauces.
As a general rule, do not over season, over-decorate or over fill serving dishes.
Chefs gradually learn the skills of tasting food to check for flavour, texture and seasoning.
Hot foods should be served hot and not warm, preferably on hot plates. Shaped and dramatic coloured plates can add to
the overall appearance and ‘drama’ of food.
Cold food should be served cold, but not frozen and always on cold plates.
Food probes can be used to check temperatures (if available).
Savoury food is usually served in oval dishes or on oval plates if appropriate (with plain doyleys or dish papers)
Sweet food is usually served in round dishes or on round plates if appropriate (with pretty doyleys)
Consistency:
The consistency of food will depend on the size of pan used, the cooking time, the amount of thickener e.g. flour used
and the quality of ingredients. It is easier to thin a mixture like a soup or a sauce rather than thicken it.
Texture:
Tasting food is essential in order to test texture. This includes checking foods like rice, pasta (cooked al dente), and
vegetables to ensure they are not over-cooked.
Cooking alters the texture of food and an experienced cook will know when the right amount of heat has been applied to
give the correct texture e.g. cooking steaks.
Contrasting textures are important to give variety and interest to a meal e.g. croutons with soup, wafers and ice cream,
cheese and biscuits.
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Flavour and seasoning:
Taste is very important. Good cooks know how to retain the flavour of food and how to alter the flavour of food. To retain
flavour chefs need to:
• Use food as fresh as possible
• Use the least amount of cooking liquid
• Use the cooking liquid where possible (for sauces, stocks and gravies)
• Use appropriate cooking methods
• Prepare, cook and serve in as short a time as possible
• Not over-season so that customers cannot taste the natural flavour
• Use herbs and strongly flavoured foods with care
• Adjust seasoning at the end.

Examples of finished dishes: