PRIMARY NEWS
Food industry icons call for cookery lessons to return to UK primary schools
resources needed to teach children to cook from as early as four. She said: “All I’ve tried to do in my career is take away the fear of cooking, because people can’t cook unless someone shows them how. In order to feel confident in the kitchen, cookery lessons need to start early on, in primary school, where children are naturally curious and want to be creative. Since cooking facilities were removed from schools, hands-on cookery has been infrequent and squeezed in when time will allow.
“When a child learns to make a simple meal, they’re learning far more than a recipe. They’re learning about nutrition, about where food comes from, about self-sufficiency. They’re learning they can feed themselves properly, which is one of the most empowering things we can teach.
“Leiths Education’s approach will make cooking accessible to every child from whatever background. The resources remove barriers for teachers who might feel daunted, and they build children’s confidence through proper skills taught well. If we want a generation that can cook, feed themselves well, and pass those skills on, we need organisations like Leiths making it possible in every primary school.’
Hollywood actor Stanley Tucci is as synonymous now with food as he is for his parts in films such as the Hunger Games and the Devil Wears Prada. He became inspired to support Leiths after witnessing the lack of culinary education available to his children. He said: “Being a passionate foodie, I do try to instill the same passion in my children. So we cook together a lot and make sharing a meal as a family a priority. It does seem a failure of our education system that so many children are leaving school without the skills to cook delicious healthy meals from scratch. When children don’t learn to cook, they miss out on basic skills but also on some of the greatest joys and pleasures of life. A passion for food and cooking, an understanding of ingredients and nutrition, they’re all essential to develop happy, independent, joyful, healthy children and future adults.”
Dame Prue Leith, Delia Smith CH and Stanley Tucci united at Parliament to call on the UK Government to ensure every child has access to regular practical cookery lessons.
The icons of the food industry are backing Leiths, the culinary school founded by Dame Prue Leith, as it raises awareness of the benefits of cooking for children of all ages.
Leiths is on a mission to ensure that regular, high-quality, practical cooking lessons are taking place in every primary school. Dame Prue Leith founded Leiths in 1975, supported by Lady Caroline Waldegrave as Principal. She said: “The best way to create the healthiest generation of children in history, is to make sure that they have the skills to cook healthy meals from scratch. Practical cookery in primary schools gives children these skills, as well as the confidence and curiosity to cook at home, opening up myriad opportunities for their health, education and futures.” Last month, Leiths announced its commitment to teaching every child at non-fee paying pre- and primary schools in the UK to cook through a new free video-led set of cookery education resources. The free resources ensure every child has the opportunity to learn to cook nutritious food from scratch by the time they leave primary school.
Delia Smith, often cited as the ‘woman who taught the nation to cook’, is passionate about ensuring schools and teachers have the
March 2026
Leiths’ research exposed a huge gap in food literacy, highlighting that 75% of primary pupils do not receive regular cookery lessons. This is despite Government guidance that a diet based on natural ingredients cooked from scratch is linked to positive health outcomes for children and adults, as well as commitments from the Government to raise the healthiest generation of children and improve life skills for all children.
The research, published following a year-long pilot in 45 diverse schools and with over 4,600 pupils across the UK, shows regular practical cooking lessons using Leiths’ primary programme delivered significant improvement in pupils’ cooking skills (82% of respondents), their understanding of healthy eating (41% of respondents) as well as essential life skills including food safety and hygiene (59% of respondents).
Maria Dunbar, CEO at Leiths Education said: “The evidence shows that regular hands-on cooking lessons delivered significant improvements in pupils’ cooking skills, their understanding of healthy eating and key life skills. Practical cooking in primary schools ticks so many boxes, from teaching children transferable life skills, to benefitting their broader education including everything from literacy to maths and science. That’s why Leiths is stepping up to deliver on closing the food education gap. We want to work with the Government and schools to teach all children to cook and to use food education as a powerful tool to engage children across the wider curriculum.”
www.education-today.co.uk 7
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