Sounds of Naija as Yabatech school wins ‘Art of Milk’ quest

It was indeed a day of fun and party for school children in Lagos, as sounds of Naija music blared through the deafening hung speakers inside the De Blue Roof Hall of Lagos Television (LTV 8) premises as the ‘Art of Milk’ recipe initiative by Peak Milk, a premium brand on the stable of Friesland Campina WAMCO Nigeria, rekindled the art of cooking in schools in Lagos.

With MC KennyBlag as host, who wowed the audience with his unique voice and quality compere, the atmosphere was ecstatic as students of the competing schools wriggle their body on their seats and sometimes stand to dance to the Naija stars tune whilst they watch their representatives prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for a day using milk as the main food item.

According to the Marketing Manager Peak, Dolapo Otegabyi, the initiative is one of the remarkable ways in which the dairy brand has chosen to mark the 2016 ‘World Milk Day’. She said, “The idea tagged: ‘Plan a Day’s Meal with Milk (breakfast, lunch and dinner)’ is a cooking contest. What we required from the selected schools in Lagos State was to plan (and prepare) breakfast, lunch and dinner for a day using milk as the main food item.”

“The initiative is meant to promote a culinary culture of cooking with milk in Nigerian homes since milk is an important agricultural product. Milk contains various vitamins and minerals which are essential for the human body. Hence, on the occasion of the ‘World Milk Day’, it is important to create awareness on the immense health benefits of milk on not just children, but adults also. This knowledge would help curb malnutrition in children and youth who are the bulk of the Nigerian population,” she added.

The hall filled to capacity and overflowing with students including nursery, primary and secondary schools, the participating schools prior to the grand finale which held on Wednesday, June 1, created recipes using milk, which they sent in for series of evaluation by the judges that comprised of Nollywood actress, Sola Shobowale well known as Toyin Tomato; Chef Niyi Williams and Dr. Elo Ukatu, a Public Health Physician at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja Lagos.

The criteria used in selecting the winning recipes include personal appearance, sanitary mannerism, creative use of milk, understanding meal planning, nutrition knowledge and team work. This the winning school, Yaba College of Technology Secondary School met and went home with the star prize of N500,000, a branded LED screen, air conditioning units for six class rooms and three classrooms in different orders. All participating schools and supporting teachers were rewarded with surprised gifts for exhibiting great creativity with milk.