Children's food and cooking questions highlighted

Children at Felix Road Adventure Playground in Easton in Bristol made sushi during a cooking class

Schools, youth clubs and other groups are being sent a charter highlighting what children and teenagers have said they want to learn about food.

More than 250 eight to 16-year-olds in Bristol were asked what they would like to know for the Food Charter developed by researcher Dr William Baker, working with the charity, Feeding Bristol.

The younger children asked questions like "how do you grow seeds?" and even "who was the first person to eat food and which (food) was it?"

They told researchers they wanted to know about making meals from scratch, find out more about food from other cultures and learn how to cook for friends or family.

Children and teenagers in Bristol were asked what they would like to learn about food

Dr Baker, from the University of Bristol, worked with Feeding Bristol which tries to tackle food inequality.

Dr Baker said he was surprised by how enthusiastic the children were to take part in workshops.

"Young people are passionate about food. They want to know more about it," he said.

"The idea [with the Food Charter] is to get every single school in the city to sign up to it, we want to make it a catalyst for change.

"We want to tackle child poverty and the link to poor diets and obesity."

The research also found a lot of children were not able to cook at home, while some said they could not remember being taught about food at school.

The charter will be sent to all primary and secondary schools in Bristol, the city council and other organisations that work with young people.

"This isn't just about schools," said Jo Ingleby, head of food education at Feeding Bristol and director of The Children's Kitchen.

"I have been excited by the kinds of foods they [children] want to cook. It's food they see on social media, and it is whole meals for friends and family, rather than snacks."

Jo Ingleby, from Feeding Bristol, and Dr Will Baker, from the University of Bristol, helped draw up the Bristol Food Education Charter