Tesco leads the way in helping parents gain confidence in cooking healthy meals at home
As part of its Fruit and Veg for Schools campaign, Tesco supplied St Clare’s with fresh ingredients to boost parents' kitchen skills and confidence.
Children and parents at a school in Birmingham are gaining new skills and confidence in healthy cooking thanks to Tesco’s Fruit and Veg for Schools scheme.
Parents and pupils at St Clare’s Catholic Primary School in Handsworth enjoyed a healthy eating cookery lesson on Friday, 31 January, creating a delicious classic vegetable soup in the process.
The ingredients were provided free of charge by Tesco as the school is part of the supermarket’s Fruit and Veg for Schools scheme, which provides £4 million of fruit and vegetables to 400 schools this academic year.
Noorun Zaman, a member of St Clare’s Phase 3 support staff who led the session, said: “We had a really positive response from our parents to the workshop. At St Clare’s we pride ourselves in involving not only our parents but also our wider community in what we do. The session was filled with insightful knowledge, tips for healthy eating and a simple hearty recipe. The feedback from the session was inspiring.”
Tesco Community Champion, Kelsey Hogan also attended the session and talked to parents about the benefits of cooking healthily at home, said: “The feedback from the parents was wonderful. They really enjoyed taking part, learning something new and getting ideas from other parents and staff on how to get their children to try new things.
“It was also great to get an insight into how the school is using the Fruit and Veg funding. Not only are they providing healthy options for the children in school but they are also supporting the parents with a cookery lesson and a food bag to take home which means the whole family and wider school community is benefitting.
“I’ve worked with St Clare’s Primary School on a lot of projects and have helped them to access Stronger Starts funding and make regular donations to their foodbank and clothes bank. I have also been helping facilitate the Stronger Starts Fruit and Veg for Schools programme by helping them shop for the items they need.”
Tesco’s Fruit and Veg for Schools campaign aims to support 140,000 children across the UK, with an estimated 16 million pieces of fruit and veg estimated to be distributed to the 400 schools taking part. A recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey led by the government revealed that only 12 per cent of children aged between 11 and 18 are meeting the five-a-day recommendation.
