'School cookery scheme is preparing me for my future'

The scheme which launched in February has visited 14 schools across Bristol

A schoolboy says a scheme that teaches children to cook healthy meals is helping him prepare for his future.

CRuNCH was launched in Bristol in February and has visited 14 schools, with 350 children cooking 1,700 meals altogether.

The 'Cook5' initiative, which has 12 'crunch crew' volunteers on its roster and is now under way at Mangotsfield Secondary School, teaches 11 to 14-year-olds how to cook five healthy meals from scratch.

Pupil Liam, who hopes to become a chef one day, said: "It's not something you get to do every day. I feel more confident in making healthy meals."

He also said it had allowed him to learn new skills, including how to make sauces and about nutrients and vitamins.

The scheme's founder, food writer Kate Percy, said the response to the project had been "remarkable", with schools also saying confidence and attendance is better amongst pupils.

"We've seen the cooking as really a catalyst for much more than cooking," she said.

"We've had children come in who are incredibly shy, and at the end of the sessions, they're talking and they're feeling really confident in their cooking," she said.

"They're working really well as a team, teachers have reported that their attendance is better and that they're focusing better," she added.

Kate Percy said she was "delighted" with the response from pupils attending the sessions

James Gilpin, assistant head teacher at Mangotsfield Secondary School, said the school was "really intrigued" by the scheme, especially as deprivation, the quality of diet and "students not having enough of the right meals" is one of their concerns for pupils.

Mr Gilpin said since the introduction of the project, confidence had grown amongst pupils and they were "happier" as they were learning "something they want to do".

"They're all here voluntarily. It's free, so it doesn't cost them anything, which is really important," he said.

He said the scheme had been funded partly by the local town council.

Liam said the scheme was helping him prepare for his future as a chef

Pupil Elliott said the sessions had given her a "chance" to cook for herself and "be independent, while pupil Ava said they had helped her develop her team-working skills and friendships.

For pupil Destiny, the best thing about the scheme was seeing "your own progress" and having something to do, rather than "going home and not doing anything and then letting" her parents cook.

Meanwhile, Cordy said the sessions were helping people to avoid "bad habits" when it comes to food, with his class mate Dainton describing cooking as "fun" and "stimulating".

Ms Percy said she hopes to continue developing the blueprint for the scheme and to replicate it nationwide.

Ava said the sessions had helped her build her friendships