Twelve students from the school, which is part of L.E.A.D. Academy Trust, took part in weekly sessions through Best Food Forward, a programme that explores where food comes from, how it is produced and how it affects health and the environment.
In each session, students cooked two dishes and ate one for lunch, trying ingredients many had never tasted before. They began with topped focaccia and a sweet tomato and basil dip, alongside seasonal fruit frozen yoghurt. A session on balanced food choices saw them make chilli and rice with shokupan, a soft Japanese milk bread, while a sustainability-themed week included crispy fish goujons with hasselback potatoes and seasonal vegetables, followed by a low-waste chocolate mousse.
The final week focused on cost and availability, challenging students to create affordable meals from accessible ingredients, with homemade burgers and buns and garden bundt cakes. Alongside their cooking and presentation skills, students learned how to reduce food waste and put together balanced meals on a budget.
The experience has already extended beyond the kitchen, with several students taking recipes home to cook with their families. Students also gained an insight into potential careers in the food industry.
Best Food Forward works with each school once so it can reach as many young people as possible. Da Vinci Academy will now be recognised as an alumni school, which may lead to further opportunities with the programme.
The school is also extending its focus on food education through nutrition and health eating lessons for Year 7 and Year 10 students. Designed by nutritionists and teachers, the lessons will form part of the school’s personal development curriculum.
“Food education is about much more than learning to cook. Understanding where food comes from and how it is produced helps young people make better choices for their own health and for the environment, and this programme gave our students a real insight into that.”
“It has been wonderful to see our students grow in confidence over the four weeks. Many of them had never set foot in a professional kitchen before, and they rose to the challenge brilliantly. Opportunities like this show our young people what is possible beyond the classroom, and we are delighted to be carrying the programme’s ideas into lessons across the school.”
