An Edinburgh nursery has served up a treat by coming out tops in a national competition run by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
Prestonfield Nursery scooped the Early Years Award in his inaugural Good School Food Awards 2023 which was revealed live on national television on BBC 1’s The One Show on Wednesday night (28 June).
Winners were chosen by a host of celebrity judges including Mary Berry, Alex Jones, Joe Wicks, Demi Stokes, Seema Pankhania, George Webster, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Jamie Oliver. Cbeebies presenter George Webster presented the nursery with their award on a surprise visit to the school earlier this month.
Their Family Cooking project has been a great success and started in February this year after the children, who love to cook at the nursery, were keen to involve their parents/carers in the experience. The initiative involves families cooking a hot meal with simple, healthy, affordable ingredients for them to take home for their family meal that evening.
Everyone has the opportunity to try new recipes, develop new skills and meet other parents/carers within the school community. It promotes and enhances healthy lifestyles, parental engagement and helps close the poverty gap. In addition the project has ensured that families are aware of the importance of healthy lifestyles and can link this to “Setting the Table", Health Scotland's Nutritional Guidance and Food Standards for Early Years Childcare Providers in Scotland.
The project has resulted in five delicious recipes being created including Italian, Indian and Mexican dishes accompanied by homemade bread, flatbreads, salsas and salads. It’s been a huge success and there are now plans for "Grow our Own", and an ambition to involve as many families as possible moving forward.
Jenny Hennessy, Head Teacher at Prestonfield Primary School and Nursery, said:
We’re utterly delighted to have won the Early Years Golden Spoon from the Jamie Oliver Good School Food Awards. We’re dedicated to encouraging healthy life long habits, and to have this commitment recognised fills us with pride for our school community.
Our family cooking project is focused on bringing our learners, their families and our staff team together to share recipes, cook alongside each other and enjoy a meal and good company. The dedication of all involved has been paramount to its success. We’re looking forward to building on this achievement in the months and years to come.
Nursery pupils who took part in the cooking project said they loved it. Efe Ustun, five years, said: “I tried a new meal, I did cooking and playing together.” Sophie Wu, four years, said: “I liked tasty meals.”
Parents joined in with their praise as well. Ebru Ustun said: “It’s a great idea to involve parents in the kids’ education. I enjoyed meeting with other parents. The staff have been amazing.” Ishraq Faraz said: I’ve enjoyed learning new recipes and healthier eating options that the whole family can enjoy. Mhairi Archibald said: “I loved all of it.”
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said:
It’s a real achievement for Prestonfield Nursery to win this national award for their cookery project. It deserves the praise it’s been getting as it really does make a difference to the lives of families.
Sharing the joy of cooking as a child with your parents is a great idea and means they can have fun cooking a hot meal together or taking the meal home for a family tea. It also helps improves children’s health and helps families struggling financially to eat healthily.
CBeebies George Webster said:
I loved meeting the kids, parents and brilliant staff at the nursery. They put so much hard work and dedication into this amazing project, making sure everyone got a well-balanced meal. The food was gorgeous too! They were really worthy winners in a highly contested award.
Last night’s award is the latest in a string of accolades for school and nurseries run by the City of Edinburgh Council. Hope Cottage Nursery and James Gillespie’s High School both won at the Scottish Education Awards this month and Firrhill High School was short-listed in the TES Awards for the best secondary school in the UK.