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Torbay children who thought healthy food was "yuk" are changing their minds thanks to a pioneering project run by the local branch of the Soroptimist International, whose aim is to work together for others, to make a difference in the local community, nationally and internationally.
They received a grant of £4,550 from Devon Community Foundation to conduct a pilot study in three local schools in the St Marychurch, Watcombe and Chestnut areas of Torbay. The pilot involved establishing after school cookery classes for Year 5 pupils, to promote healthy eating and to combat childhood obesity, encouraging the use of natural products, rather than processed food. They targeted schools with a higher than average ratio of Statemented Children with learning disabilities who are in need of special education provision and those from disadvantaged families who receive free school meal provision.
The pilot consisted three 10 week courses for Year 5 children. Each course was led by a qualified tutor, assisted by one or two volunteers, who were either parents or members of the local community. During the one hour class, ten children at each school prepared a healthy dish from scratch. The children began each session by washing their hands, putting on aprons and tying back long hair. They then read the recipe together and discussed how the ingredients they were using were grown and where they came from .The children then had the opportunity to weigh the ingredients, chop the vegetables and stir mixtures.
Where appropriate, they tasted the raw ingredients, discussed safety in the kitchen and basic hygiene. Whilst waiting for the food to cook the children worked on their own individual recipe books which they were able to take home at the end of the term. Once the dishes had been cooked the children were able to take a sample home for their families to taste.
The volunteers at Chestnut Primary School had the idea of inviting parent and grandparents to a party at the last session, where sample dishes were prepared for everyone to try. This particular pilot was so successful that they won a "Healthy Schools" award and received a much treasured letter from the Prime Minister.
The pilots all started and finished with a questionnaire for stakeholders and the Research & Development Unit at the University of Plymouth. The first one was issued before the cookery clubs began and the second at the end of the academic year. The aim was to capture any changes that may have occurred in eating habits, cultural factors and whether pupils helped with cooking at home between the first and second questionnaires. They were asked questions such as "Do you eat breakfast before you come to school?", "What do you eat for your snack?", "Do you have a cooked meal at home after school?", "What are your favourite fruits and vegetables?" and "Do you help with cooking at home?" Analysis at the end of the pilot demonstrated that the children's diets had improved. More children were eating breakfast in the morning, their choice of snack was fruit, rather than the crisps and biscuits they had eaten previously and they were eating more vegetables. Interestingly, there was no increase in the number of children helping with cookery at home when the pilot ended!
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