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The sessions focused on scratch cooking, health and wellbeing and British produce and involved over 50 highly engaged pupils aged 7-9 from Darnhall Primary School in Winsford and Victoria Road Primary School in Northwich, respectively. Both are catered for by Edsential.
 
The day was overseen by Essential Cuisine Senior Development Chef, Jonathan Harvey-Barnes who invited children to get hands-on using different foods to explore their taste buds and senses in a highly interactive session. Following this they were taught knife skills under Jonathan’s tutelage; including the bridge and the claw technique – chopping fresh vegetables and preparing their own salad with dressing.  
 
Each pupil was gifted a chefs’ hat and apron alongside a goodie bag filled with exclusive Essential Cuisine and Brakes items.
 
Jonathan commented: “Both Essential Cuisine and Brakes are passionate advocates that a love of cooking and food should begin as early as possible. Engaging with kids at grass-roots level not only helps them improve and hone basic kitchen skills, it’s also vital in helping them understand food and its importance on their individual well-being.
 
“Edsential were delighted with the sessions and several of the pupils remarked after how they now wanted to become chefs and were excited about taking their aprons home to help their parents prepare meals – hopefully we have, in some small way, helped inspire the next generation.”  
 
“We are, once again, delighted to be supporting and promoting Love British Food/British Food Fortnight,” added Lisa Johnson, Brakes Sector Marketing Manager – Education. “We see educating children about the great fresh produce and ingredients available on their doorstep as a key part of our role as a responsible supplier.”

As part of the initiative Essential Cuisine and Brakes have collaborated on a co-branded recipe book, available from your Brakes representative.
 
The Essential Cuisine team prides itself on offering education and support to fledgling and professional chefs of all ages. The company is a patron of the Chefs Adopt a School charity, an organiser of the North West Young Chef of the Year competition and a sponsor of the South West Young Chef of the Year competition. It’s chef team also regularly give up their free time to mentor young chefs throughout the industry.