Lancashire firm funds 3,000 free classes to tackle food education gap
“We’re not here for a few months and then moving on”.
Two-thirds of children across the North are missing out on dedicated food education, with four in five food technology teachers saying the cost of delivering it, particularly ingredients, is a major barrier to pupils accessing these vital lessons.
Now, the Prept Foundation, a successful food education programme already making an impact in schools across London and Sussex, is expanding into Lancashire, with help from business Gastronomy Plus, based near Lancaster.
The Foundation provides fully funded food education in schools, giving young people the chance to build practical skills for life - from cooking and understanding ingredients and nutrition, to trying new foods and developing a healthier relationship with food.
As part of the partnership, Gastronomy Plus is helping fund chef Jade Moncur to deliver the programme across;
- 90 schools across the North West
- 3,000 hands-on cooking classes for local children
For Gastronomy Plus Managing Director Alex Shannon, the decision was about doing something that could have a genuine impact on children and families in the local community. Alex said: “When we first met the Prept Foundation, we immediately understood what they were trying to achieve. This isn’t just about teaching children how to cook, it’s about giving them confidence around food and practical skills they can take with them for the rest of their lives.
“There are more than 80,000 children living in low-income families across Lancashire, so there is a huge amount of need on our doorstep. As a local business, we wanted to play a genuine role in supporting our community and doing something that could have a lasting impact.
“Food and hospitality is a fantastic industry and can open up so many doors for young people. Their first experience of cooking could be the start of discovering a future career they hadn’t considered before. We want children from every background to have that opportunity.
“That’s why our support is a long-term commitment. We’re not here for a few months and then moving on, we’re supporting the Foundation for three years because we want to see what a sustained investment in food education can achieve across Lancashire.”