This weekend is Mid-Autumn Festival and families across China will come together to celebrate. Like mince pies at Christmas, Mid-Autumn Festival is associated with one particular foodstuff – mooncakes!

In recognition of this important festival, PO Treasurer Fion Lee came to Yew Chung International School of Beijing to lead a mooncake making class for parents. We talk to Fion about the class, and share her recipe for the perfect mooncake.

Please introduce yourself

I’m Fion. Originally from Hong Kong but I have lived in Beijing since 2007. I have two children at YCIS Beijing, my daughter Charlie in Y8 and my son Carlton in Y4. Charlie has been at the school for ten years now!

When did you learn to make mooncakes?

Like most families nowadays, back in Hong Kong we always bought our mooncakes. But when we moved over to Beijing we struggled to find good ones – without spending a fortune. I decided to research some mooncake recipes and try my hand at making them instead. It took a few attempts, but now I’ve learned to make them from scratch and there’s no going back!

Why did you decide to lead a mooncake making class?

A few years ago, I bought a batch of my home made mooncakes into school. Lots of parents wanted to know the recipe. The PO decided that it would be a great activity to lead a cooking class. Now everyone can make mooncakes, and see that they aren’t too difficult!

What have you most enjoyed about the class today?

It’s so nice to get parents together and introduce them to each other in a relaxed environment. The PO loves to provide parents with the opportunity to forge friendships. There was a lovely, jolly atmosphere and I was really happy to see some new parents come along too. The highlight, however, is always seeing how much everyone enjoys the mooncakes at the end!

How does your family celebrate Mid-Autumn festival?

We eat mooncakes of course!

To download Fion’s perfect mooncake recipe click here.