We’re transforming school lunches and pupils are loving the new menus
Blackpool’s school kitchen teams are served up a taste of the future with a special food tasting event today.
Blackpool’s schoolchildren are set to enjoy tastier, more nutritious lunches thanks to the town’s innovative school kitchen teams.
On Wednesday, 18 February, Abingdon Street Market will host a celebratory tasting event from 9am to 11am, giving guests a first look and taste of the new menus developed by chefs who recently completed the School Chef Educator Programme.
The 10-week training, delivered by the national charity Chefs in Schools and backed by celebrity chefs including Prue Leith and Yotam Ottolenghi, equips school kitchen teams with enhanced culinary skills, nutrition knowledge, and techniques to reduce food waste.
Blackpool’s chefs are the first in the North West to complete the programme, which will benefit thousands of pupils across 17 primary and secondary schools, serving around 6000 freshly made meals every day.
Dishes now appearing in schools include mushroom bao buns, superfood salads, sweet potato and cauliflower dishes, and even beetroot brownies.
The tasting event will also celebrate the chefs’ achievements alongside Blackpool Council Catering team members who have earned NVQs in catering.
Cllr Jo Farrell, cabinet member for communities and wellbeing, said:“Children need a variety of things to be able to thrive in school, including good food to fuel their learning.
“We’ve invested in their wellbeing and the professional development of our wonderful school kitchen teams through this training.
“Our schools catering service already do an excellent job of keeping pupils and teachers well fed and all those who completed the training really embraced the opportunity to increase their skillsets.
“We were all excited to try samples of their new menus at the School Meal Takeover event.”
“Blackpool showed real vision in prioritising this” says Naomi Duncan, CEO of Chefs in Schools.
“You can transform school food without investing in the people who prepare it. Blackpool understood that, and now they’re leading the way for the North West.”
By investing in professional development and sourcing 89% of vegetables and all dairy locally, Blackpool is not only improving children’s diets but supporting Lancashire’s food economy, setting a new benchmark for school meals in the North West.