FSA offering Cookit grants for schools

Cookit is a set of cooking equipment and utensils developed by the Focus on Food Campaign and supported by the FSA. The equipment is housed in a bright wheeled trunk and is suitable for teaching children in playgroups, cooking clubs or in young people's organisations. The FSA is currently offering grants towards the cost of buying the full set of equipment. The deadline for applications is 23 June. Lesley Batterham, of Birch primary School, commented on how the new equipment has benefited her school: "As a school, we are passionate about giving children opportunities to learn about food and cooking. We think that if we give children the skills to cook, we are giving them a choice of how they eat in the future. Having this kit ensures we are able to teach these skills with excellent resources." Anita Cormac, food director, continued: "The Cookit is a fantastic concept that has been really well received by all primary schools…We understand how carefully schools need to manage their budgets. The Cookit has been carefully designed and trailed to ensure it supports cooking in schools effectively. It also offers very good value for money in terms of quality." Each Cookit contains everything needed to teach basic cooking and baking skills to groups of six to 12 pupils. It also includes a range of items for demonstration and preparation by adults only. Items include mixing bowls, jugs, chopping boards, baking equipment, trays and saucepans. It also comes with full user information such as activities, advice and recipes. To download the application and for more information click here http://www.food.gov.uk/healthiereating/nutritionschools/cookit