Charity launches a cooking curriculum

The teaching resources have been put together by Focus on Food in Halifax and have been developled to allow schools to follow the School Food Plan

Director Jane Sixsmith said: “These packs are full of planning advice for teachers who are cooking with their class. We have been supporting cooking in schools and communities for more than 15 years and our recipes are developed with clear teaching instructions and specific age groups in mind.”

The packs have also involved TV gardener Katie Rushworth, from Bingley, who has produced instructions for a grow-a-soup recipe as part of the pack.

She said: “These recipes will encourage schools to plant their own veg and herbs and to commit to a deeper understanding of where food comes from.

“For children to see the fruits of their labour in a garden or allotment is just so inspiring.”

Focus on Food delivers an education programme which involves cooking buses going into schools.

The charity is also linked to the Cooking School at Dean Clough former mill building in Halifax.

The cooking curriculum has been produced as a new poll reveals how much parents rely on school breakfast clubs. Around one-in-six parents admit they would have leave their child unsupervised if there was not a breakfast club The poll also concludes that some youngsters would be more likely to start school hungry if there was not a club available to give them a meal, while some parents say the lack of such a group would mean they would have to stop working.

The findings come in a poll of around 2,000 working parents commissioned by Kellogg’s.