SCHOOLCHILDREN in Swanage rolled their sleeves up over Easter as they learnt some important cooking skills.

More than 450 children across Dorset and the BCP area, many of whom would normally receive free school meals, took part in healthy lunchtime cookery classes during the Easter holidays with The Friendly Food Club.

The charity which encourages healthy eating through fun community cooking delivered 19 cooking sessions across the county as part of BCP Council and Dorset Council’s Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) Programme.

This includes Swanage, where 14 children between the ages of five and eight chopped, peeled and cooked up a delicious rice poke bowl, guided by Friendly Food Club tutors Andria, Viv and Caroline at the Cumulus Outdoor Residential Centre, in Cobblers Lane.

Five-year-old Scarlett said: “I liked cooking with Andria. She showed us how to use the sharp knife to cut the carrots without cutting our fingers. I squashed garlic and grated the carrot, and we used a frying pan to fry the chicken, which was fun.”

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Five-year-old Arthur said: “I have never used a grater before, and it was fun. I would like to do more cooking.”

Eight-year-old Kit said: “I gave the lunch we made ten out of 10; the chicken was the best and I especially liked squashing the garlic.”

The Friendly Food Club was founded by Bridport teacher and restaurateur Tony Gibbons in 2005 to improve the confidence and diet of struggling families, and since that time, has delivered sessions to more than 50,000 participants.

Gemma Edwards, senior instructor at Cumulus said: “We’re very happy to welcome the Friendly Food Club back today.

“The children really enjoy the classes, and are not only cooking, but are also learning about healthy foods and developing life skills.

“The imaginative recipes mean they are also trying some things they maybe haven’t tried before.

“They all have a great time, eat some great food, and grow in confidence, all things we are firmly committed to at Cumulus.”

In addition to the HAF sessions this Easter, the Friendly Food Club also distributed a further 600 meals via 150 cook boxes to families receiving free school meals and attending selected HAF programmes in BCP.

The aim of these boxes is to give ingredients and a recipe to bring families together to cook and enjoy a meal together in the holidays.

Catherine Stark, HAF Co-ordinator for BCP Council, said: “Since 2023, approximately 1,100 children in the BCP Council area have benefitted from activities through the Friendly Food Club.

“We have seen children grow in confidence when handling and preparing food, and by using child-friendly equipment, children feel safe in this activity. We have also received exceptional feedback from parents about the cook bags.

“The recipes are modern and easy for children and families to follow. They also use ingredients which can be easily obtainable, meaning that families can incorporate these meals into their family meal planning.

“Some of our HAF clubs have further embedded cookery classes by purchasing similar mobile cooking equipment to that used by the Friendly Food Club. HAF activity plans have been devised with a heavy element of cooking and nutrition, which supports this fundamental aspect of the programme.

“We also know that some community groups have been inspired by the Friendly Food Company’s cooking sessions and now provide their own family cooking sessions during school holiday periods.”

Jude Allen, HAF Coordinator for Dorset Council said: “The partnership with The Friendly Food Club has greatly benefitted our community by providing access to nutritious food, cooking workshops, and educational resources.

“Children have gained valuable cooking skills, learnt about healthy eating, and most importantly, had fun.”

Companies interested in funding Friendly Food Club sessions in their community are asked to email: liz@thefriendlyfoodclub.org or visit: www.thefriendlyfoodclub.org