Pupils join Peeblesshire Foodbank Classroom Chefs project

The Classroom Chefs project is being delivered to 392 children at eight Borders primary schools by Peeblesshire Foodbank.

The children are helped to prepare and cook a variety of slow cooker meals including sausage casserole, macaroni cheese, rice pudding, BBQ chicken pasta, butter chicken and easter fudge.

Pupils at St Ronan's PS have enjoyed learning to cook (Image: Peeblesshire Foodbank)

Youngsters in the project said: "I’ve enjoyed making and eating all of the food so far and my favourite has been the sausage casserole."

Another young chef added: "I like that we can work together and make some food that is delicious."

The primary schools taking part in the Classroom Chefs project are: Kingsland, Priorsford, Halyrude, St Ronans, Walkerburn, West Linton, Newlands and Broughton.

A Peeblesshire Foodbank spokesperson said: "This project builds on the success of last year’s slow cooker project with families

"Through a fun activity, we are helping children learn life skills and try new, tasty food cooked from scratch. A slow cooker uses much less energy than a conventional oven so great for family budgets when energy bills are high

"Any family can face a crisis and we are raising awareness of the help available from Peeblesshire foodbank through schools – directly with families whose children are taking part and through whole school newsletters."

Kingsland PS showing off their culinary creations (Image: Peeblesshire Foodbank)

The project is fully funded by Scottish Borders Council (SBC) and Baillie Gifford to ensure that the cost of the slow cookers, equipment and ingredients are covered.

Emma Stevenson, a teacher at Kingsland Primary School, said: "There is always a wonderful buzz on Wednesday mornings and the pupils are really enjoying developing their skills and producing a variety of different dishes. A lot of them have gone on to use the recipes at home with their parents and we are looking forward to trying out the last few dishes."

Each week pupils take home their culinary creations to share with their families. They also get a recipe card featuring details on the meal as well as information on the work the food bank does.

Young chefs at Halyrude PS (Image: Peeblesshire News)

Davy Cornwall, acting deputy head teach at St Ronan's Primary School, said: "The pupils have been really engaged with the cooking and look forward to taking part, it has also allowed us to involve parents". 

Peeblesshire Foodbank is available to any family in need of support.

Last year the charity supported 1,740 local people including 630 children.

Peeblesshire Foodbank can be reached at info@peeblesshire.foodbank.org.uk or by calling 01721 588654.