The £5m project is giving more than 2,400 schools the chance to join Let’s Get Cooking sessions after school so they can go above and beyond what they learn about cooking in the curriculum.
The Children’s Food Trust’s Let’s Get Cooking programme gives children the chance to learn to cook a huge variety of dishes from healthy favourites like salads, omelettes and soups to world cuisine like curries, stir fries and chilli.
Linda Cregan, CEO of the Children’s Food Trust, said: “If we want children in the UK to eat better, we have to give them the skills they need to cook and these clubs are making that happen.
“This is a new era for this work and it’s so exciting to have Tesco’s support to help our incredible network of volunteers inspire even more children to take their first steps in the kitchen.
“Every child should get the chance to roll up their sleeves, get their apron on and make something delicious from scratch – and if they don’t get that chance at home, our clubs are providing that connection.”
Originally established seven years ago with £20m of investment from the Big Lottery Fund, The Children’s Food Trust’s Let’s Get Cooking programme established a network of 3,000 successful primary and special school clubs in England and has so far helped almost two million children and parents improve their cooking skills.
The Tesco Eat Happy Project is the retailer’s long-term commitment to help children aged 4-11 years have a healthier and happier relationship with food.
Tesco has worked with the Children’s Food Trust since 2014, delivering cooking courses to more than 3,500 children in stores across the UK.