Local Charity on a Mission to Prevent Obesity through Food Education.
Guest blog by Stephanie Slater of School Food Matters
Founded in 2007, School Food Matters was born out of a grassroots campaign that transformed school meals for 38 primary schools in Richmond. The charity is on a mission to teach children about food and to improve children’s access to healthy, sustainable food during their time at school.
To excite children about food we need to tell them the story behind the food that ends up on their plates. To achieve this we partner with farmers, chefs, gardeners, restaurants and food producers who generously share their passion for great food to inspire the next generation of chefs, farmers and food-growers.
Since 2014, Petersham Nurseries has partnered with School Food Matters and has been welcoming school children into their magical kitchen garden to help them understand where food comes from as part of a programme called Kitchen Garden Ideas.
Kitchen Garden Ideas brings together the two life skills of growing your own food and cooking simple nutritious meals, and aims to inspire children and families to have a go at both.
Petersham Nurseries said “There is nothing more rewarding and pleasurable than growing your own vegetables, herbs and fruit. The more we experience direct contact with what we eat and grow, the more informed and responsible we can be about what we are feeding our children. Everyone at Petersham Nurseries enjoys spending time with children from local schools harvesting and creating great, healthy recipes”
In 2019, chef Damian Clisby welcomed students from Grey Court School to Petersham Nurseries’ new restaurants at Covent Garden. Year 10 GCSE students enjoyed a tour of the kitchens and dining rooms and learned about career opportunities in food. They also had a go at making fresh pasta!
Find out more about School Food Matters at schoolfoodmatters.org or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
You can also read about their ambitious plans for 2020-2025 here.
