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Pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe have been joining the increasingly popular Cooking Club at the school. The school sees cooking as a core life skill and their aim is to give everyone the opportunity to learn to cook and enjoy good food.

The Cooking Club aims to give pupils a solid grounding in cookery, allowing them to develop their knowledge and set of skills, discover a passion for food and find the fun and satisfaction in creating a great meal.

The club’s goals are to provide practical food opportunities and to help young people to be aware of the importance of following a healthy diet; have the necessary skills to prepare and cook healthy food; make more informed choices about the type of food and drink they consume; and follow correct food hygiene and safety procedures.

In a society overloaded with junk food, our sedentary lifestyles, and the current ready meal food scandals, there’s never been a better time to encourage more young people to enjoy cooking.

Mrs Marianne Holder, Food Technology teacher, explained: “Being able to shop on a budget, prepare ingredients and cook healthy dishes helps people to make healthy food choices. Learning to cook is a core life skill which helps to develop confidence and social skills.”

“Through my work with the pupils, I see them learning all sorts of life skills (math, ingredient and nutrient knowledge) as well as basic kitchen techniques, which will definitely serve them well in the future. I have been so pleased to see the pupils branching out to try new foods and I have been thrilled to watch the children attack even seemingly complex recipes or techniques with an amazing “can do” attitude.”

“Studies show that children who are welcomed in to the kitchen and are allowed to help prepare and cook food are less fussy and eat more healthily. They’re also more likely to try new foods, and learn about the provenance of food and about waste and how to reduce it.” said Mrs Fiona Minshall, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s.

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