Canada

Here are a few Canadian-themed community cooking and language event ideas to get you started.  Download the Pumpkin Soup recipe and Demonstrator Notes at the bottom of the page.

Click on each country’s page for more ideas and recipes.

Canadian Thanksgiving

Hold your own Thanksgiving event and make Pumpkin Soup. It could be a group meal where everyone brings a guest or a family meal at home.  Thanksgiving is traditionally a time when families gather together to celebrate the harvest and to give thanks for having enough to eat.  During the meal, ask every guest to say, in French, what they are giving thanks for.  Invite guests to arrive early so they can join in the cooking and make sure everyone gets a recipe to take home.

Autumn Festivals

Pumpkin Soup is a great recipe to enjoy at autumn events such as Harvest Festivals or Halloween.  Find out how these festivals are celebrated in different countries and the different word for pumpkin in each language.  Make pumpkin lanterns as decorations for your seasonal events and use the scooped out flesh to make Pumpkin Soup to serve to guests.

Learn about pumpkins

Make the most of pumpkins when they are in season during the autumn. Find out where they grow, how they are grown and what life as a pumpkin grower is like.  Can you find out when they were first imported to Britain and Northern Ireland and which country they came from?  Pumpkins are eaten in Canada around Thanksgiving in October, how many other Canadian pumpkin recipes can you find? Find out how many people speak French in Canada and where they live. Find the main areas on a map and mark with Canadian and French flags. 

Bonfire parties

Pumpkin Soup is an ideal food to serve at a Bonfire party in November.  You can make a batch and serve in cups for people to enjoy as they watch the fireworks and give everyone a recipe to take home.  Decorate your ‘Soup Kitchen’ with French words and Canadian flags and teach everyone how to ask for a cup of soup in French.

Winter sports

The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were held in Vancouver, Canada in February 2010.  Link your cooking session with some winter sports and serve Pumpkin Soup to players and spectators.  We might not have any snow in Britain and Northern Ireland but you could take part in some British winter sports such as football, rugby and hockey.  If you are lucky enough to live near an ice rink or indoor ski slope – why not take a flask of warming soup to enjoy after your session? 

Key dates

• Canadian Thanksgiving
  11 October 2010
  10 October 2011
  8 October 2012
• Harvest festivals are traditionally held during October
• Bonfire Night 5 November each year
• Halloween 31 October each year
• Canada Day 1 July each year