York takeaway service launches in school kitchen

The School Kitchen scheme opens up facilities to takeaway providers in the evenings and at weekends

Takeaway food is being cooked in a school's kitchens at weekends and evenings to help raise money.

Customers can order Sri Lankan, Thai, Mexican or Spanish food to be delivered from York's Carr Junior School.

The eco-friendly School Kitchen scheme was set up to get more use out of the kitchens, while also boosting school funding with a share of the cash.

David Nicholson, School Kitchen boss, said it was a "fantastic opportunity" to benefit from an underused resource.

Mr Nicholson, the managing director of the project, said he came up with the idea after becoming "disillusioned" with big food companies and their disconnection from local communities.

Four cuisines are on offer as part of the School Kitchen scheme

Speaking to BBC Radio York, he added: "It's a resource which the schools have spent a lot of money on, that they're not getting any benefit from.

"Schools have kitchens which they are not using on evenings or weekends, so I thought that was a fantastic opportunity.

"If we can partner with schools to use those kitchens, it's a way for us to be in the middle of a community and schools to get extra funding."

Aside from giving schools a cash boost, School Kitchen also hopes to offer pupils cooking lessons.

The team also wants to plant crops and herbs on disused land at Carr Junior School, so children can learn where food comes from and how to grow it.

School Kitchen added that it was committed to fair employment, with no zero-hour contracts and all employees, from chefs to delivery riders, paid at least the living wage of £12 an hour.

Vicki Kerr, head teacher at Carr Junior School, said: "We are really looking forward to being part of this exciting new venture.

"Not only is the food delicious, but it will directly benefit the school and the local community."