The food lesson began with the pupils picking fresh tomatoes and courgettes in the garden and then making a vegetable soup with added protein in the form of chickpeas and butter beans.
Head food educator Tom Walker showed the children how to make a meal that formed a ‘whole protein’ by making bread with linseeds, demonstrating that nutritious meals don’t always have to contain meat and that by reducing our meat consumption, we can also reduce our carbon footprint.
Simon Billing, executive director of Eating Better, said: “If we want to teach young people about sustainability, healthy eating and tackling climate change, school food is where it’s at. Hackney School of Food is a fantastic place to learn, where children are given the skills and knowledge they need to be part of the solution to the challenges we face. We need more solutions like this and more school leadership to drive positive change.”
Although Hackney School of Food is a unique place with purpose-built facilities, Tom was keen to point out that any school or public sector institutions such as prisons or hospitals can take the steps to cook seasonally, sustainably and at scale.
Elena Salazar, policy and knowledge manager at Eating Better, added: “It’s great to see schools taking steps to serve less meat. It shows that serving better is possible. We know that schools, public sector caterers and young people have an appetite for healthier and more sustainable meals to be served. Local authorities can really scale this up.”