Youngsters at Ysgol Melyd, Meliden will be cooking up a treat as they improve their culinary skills when the Cooking Bus returns to Denbighshire.
The Cooking Bus is a large, hi-tech articulated lorry that opens out into a spectacular purpose-built kitchen and classoom where qualified food teachers give pupils, teachers and the community a taste of quality cooking.
The bus is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and is run by The Focus on Food campaign, the leading organisation supporting the teaching of cooking in schools across the UK.
It will be present at Ysgol Melyd from Monday, 15 March until Friday, 19 March.
Pupils climb aboard for lessons under the expert eye of Advisory Teacher Richard Shaw, whose planned programme of cooking activities is tailored to the age of those taking part and supports the schools. There will also be training for the teachers and the wider community, so they can continue helping youngsters cook with confidence long after the Bus has rolled out of the yard.
Focus on Food Cooking Buses tour the UK delivering lessons to children of all ages in how to prepare, cook and enjoy real food. Some typical dishes made onboard the bus include roast vegetable couscous salad, vegetable samosas, Caerphilly salad, cheesy jacket potatoes, fruit kebabs and fruit smoothies.
There are also community sessions held on the bus to deliver the same teaching to parents and carers. Pupils cover key aspects of food education including nutrition, food safety and hygiene and food preparation skills. The core of all lessons is hands-on cooking.
Councillor Sharon Frobisher, Cabinet Lead Member with responsibility for school meals, said: “The Cooking Bus is an excellent initiative and goes hand in hand with all the work we are doing in Denbighshire to improve school meals and encourage our children to consider the healthier options available on our menus.
“This is a very innovative way of getting to our schools and we are delighted that the Cooking Bus is making a return to Denbighshire.”
