The recipe for healthy eating and confidence in the kitchen

More than 5,000 pupils, parents and teachers from 24 schools put on their aprons and chopped, stirred, fried and boiled as part of the national event which aims to get as many people as possible cooking a healthy dish together on the same day.

Regional food heroes Sam Stern and Brian Turner have backed the campaign in Yorkshire and Humber

The Cookathon is also being supported by Simon Rimmer, resident chef on BBC2’s Something for the Weekend and food writer and TV personality Jay Rayner who also has links with the county as he went to university in Yorkshire.

Let’s Get Cooking is a national network of after school cooking clubs for children, their families and the wider community, led by the School Food Trust and supported by a £20m grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

There are currently more than 4,000 school-based cooking clubs across every local authority across England, with one million members. More than 50,000 of these members will be cooking today.

The cooking clubs give children and adults the skills and confidence to cook healthy family meals on a budget. Let’s Get Cooking clubs receive funding for cooking equipment and running costs, training for adult helpers and a range of resources. All clubs participating in yesterday’s event are in with a chance of winning a share of the £3,000 prize money to spend on their club. Regional winners will be announced in June and one school will be crowned the national Cookathon champion. Research shows that more than half of all Let’s Get Cooking club members eat more healthily after learning to cook and nine out of ten say they had used their new cooking skills at home.

Let’s Get Cooking has three key targets:

* By the end of the five-year programme 1,106,300 children, family members and members of the local community will increase their food preparation or cooking skills as a result of Let’s Get Cooking.

* 70 per cent of participants who learn a new healthy eating skill through Let’s Get Cooking will replicate that skill at home

* 50 per cent of children, young people and families who participate will increase their intake of nutritionally healthy food.

Rob Rees MBE, Chairman of the School Food Trust and chef, said: “Let’s Get Cooking is doing a great job in changing people’s attitudes and behaviour when it comes to cooking healthy meals from scratch.

“The BIG Cookathon is a great opportunity to let the country know about the health, social and family benefits which come from spending time together cooking.”

* For more information visit www.letsgetcooking.org.uk