Half a million people learn to cook

Cooking clubs reap healthy rewards for family food

More than half of people taking part in cooking clubs for families say they eat a healthier diet after being taught how to cook balanced meals.

In research for Let’s Get Cooking, a national network of healthy cooking clubs, 59% of club members said they were eating more healthily after their involvement with the programme, while 90% reported that they had used their new cooking skills at home. 

The figures, which have exceeded the programme’s targets, have been published as Let's Get Cooking approaches its third anniversary, having taught more than 500,000 children and parents new cooking skills since its launch – the equivalent of 19 people every hour!

Led by the School Food Trust and supported by a £20 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund, there are now nearly 4,000 school-based Let's Get Cooking clubs in every local authority across England and the programme is on track to smash the target of teaching new cooking skills to more than 1.1 million people by October 2012. 

Chair of the School Food Trust, Rob Rees, MBE said: “The thing about Let’s Get Cooking is that it’s fun. The children love getting their hands dirty, and it’s a chance for parents to pick up really practical tips on healthier shopping and recipes they can throw together quickly in the evenings, spend time with their kids and get to know other parents.

“There’s nothing to beat going through a new recipe step by step, then eating the results together. What this research tells us is that by giving families practical skills they can use, they are beginning to make small shifts in their diets. Not only will that help boost take up of healthy school food, it will also help to improve the health of the whole family.”

This year Let's Get Cooking’s national Cookathon competition saw more than 50,000 people across the country take part in nearly 200 large-scale community cooking events, all on the same day (16 March 2010), smashing the previous year’s total of 24,000 participants. The national winners, Oughtibridge Primary in Sheffield, clinched top place and a prize of £1000 to spend on their club, after more than 1500 people joined their Cookathon event at home and at school to cook Tasty Tomato Pasta.  Eight regional winners each won £250 for their clubs, by holding a range of ambitious and creative cooking events involving hundreds of people from their school, local businesses and their local communities.

Rob added: “This is just the beginning. Now that we have a successful track record of setting up, delivering and evaluating this national network of school-based cooking clubs, we are expanding our work to reach new audiences. We’re working in settings such as Children’s Centres, special schools and Pupil Referral Units, with foster carers and young parents, as well as training Higher Level Teaching Assistants to deliver cooking within the curriculum.”

Thanks to the £20 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Well-being funding programme, Let's Get Cooking clubs receive funding to buy cooking equipment, free training which is accredited by the Royal Society of Public Health, ongoing advice and support from regional Let’s Get Cooking specialists and a range of high quality resources. The Big Lottery Fund’s Well-being programme provides funding to support the development of healthier lifestyles and to improve well-being.

Schools with existing cooking clubs can apply to become associate members of Let's Get Cooking and receive £500 funding and a range of resources and support.