Aurora Hanley School start exciting Children’s Community Cooking Project

How does it work?

Students use food that would otherwise be thrown away by supermarkets which supplement ingredients bought or grown by the school. They make tasty nutritious meals that are provided to help others.

The food from the supermarket is all perfectly safe to eat – it’s just past its official sell by date.

The church identifies which families will receive food and the plan is they’ll have a main meal and dessert once a week for six weeks and then a new family will benefit.

Food is all labelled with safety, storage and cooking information and is tailored to meet the needs of any food allergies or dietary requirements for the family.

Students also benefit as they learn how to make well-balanced meals and they love the idea that others will benefit.

Recipes are taken from the Eatwell website and are adapted for pupils with ASD by making tweaks such as using pictures of the food.

Food technology teacher Tina Amison explains how the innovative project came about: “I'm a member of St John’s Church and Welcome Centre and recognised that people within the community were struggling to feed their families. I approached my local Co-op store and asked what they do with their out-of-date food - they said it goes into the bin. I asked if I could collect it. I check that the fresh foods are still of a good quality and then the students use it at the community centre to make delicious and nutritious meals for others.”

The students love cooking for families. Their response has been so positive and supportive. One said: “I am enjoying cooking for other children who may not eat a healthy hot meal.”

The families have given lovely feedback to the school. One said: “We can’t believe we had such beautiful food delivered to our door.”

Another said: “The food was amazing! I had not had chicken & leek pie before, but I thought it was delicious. My 10-month-old son tried the mash and broccoli and enjoyed it. The trifle went down a treat with us all. Thank you for thinking of us!”

Logo

The project also has its own logo which was created by a team effort from staff and pupils.

Future

The hope is that this project is indefinite so as many families as possible can be helped.