Why Hands-On Learning Works – The Importance of Experiential, Practical Education for Life Skills

Learning by Doing – Why Practical Cookery Education Transforms Lives

At Auntie’s Cookery Academy, our courses aren’t about sitting in a classroom reading recipe books—they’re about rolling up sleeves, getting stuck in, and learning by doing.

This approach, known as experiential learning, is the cornerstone of our curriculum—and with good reason. Practical, hands-on learning not only helps learners acquire skills faster, but also improves retention, boosts confidence, and enables real-world application.

Educational research supports this method. Experiential learning allows individuals to connect knowledge with action, bridging the gap between theory and practice (Bloom et al., 1956; Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). In the context of cookery, this means learners don’t just understand what a healthy meal looks like—they know how to shop for it, budget for it, and

prepare it with the tools they have.

Emily-Jane Dale’s (2025) dissertation on Auntie’s Cookery Academy’s 6-week YMCA programme demonstrated how structured, practical instruction resulted in measurable improvements in food literacy, nutritional understanding, and cooking skills. Participants showed strong gains across all three domains of Begley et al.’s (2018) Evaluation Tool for

Food Literacy Programmes—‘Plan and Manage’, ‘Selection’, and ‘Preparation’.

These domains go beyond knowledge. They assess whether a learner can budget for a meal, choose appropriate ingredients, and physically cook the food—life skills that are essential for independence. As Dale (2025) notes, while theoretical models like Bloom’s Taxonomy focus on cognitive growth, the Begley framework captures the behavioural and practical transformations that occur when people learn by doing. The feedback from learners supports this. Many arrive believing they “can’t cook,” only to discover that with support and repetition, they can confidently follow recipes, prepare meals, and even adapt them to suit dietary needs. This kind of experiential learning builds real-world competence and emotional investment, making the lessons stick.

Research from the Food Foundation (2023) and Public Health Nutrition (2016) backs this up—showing that hands-on cookery programmes improve diet, reduce reliance on processed foods, and promote better mental health and resilience.

At Auntie’s Cookery Academy, we’re proud to offer a learning environment where success is measured in both skills gained and lives transformed. Our learners don’t just watch or listen—they chop, stir, taste, and grow.