Sylvia Heal

Labour Party | Halesowen and Rowley Regis

Sylvia Heal welcomes cooking lessons for all young people

30 January 2008

Sylvia Heal MP has welcomed the Governments announcement that all young people aged 11-14 will take part in compulsory cooking lessons in school.

This change will be introduced from 2011 and will provide young people with hands-on cooking advice and lessons in how to make cheap and healthy meals from fresh ingredients. The Government have pledged an extra £2.5 million a year to fund the new lessons after they have become compulsory to cover the costs of cooking ingredients for pupils on free school meals. And all secondary schools will also build, modernise or share good food preparatory areas for young people to cook in every school by 2011.

Sylvia Heal MP said: “Leaving school able to cook healthy dishes from scratch is an essential everyday skill all young people should have. It is at the heart of tackling obesity and will enable future generations to understand food, diet and nutrition; and put together healthy meals for their entire lives. It must be a thing of the past that young people can leave secondary school never having had a basic cooking lesson.

Schools minister Ed Balls has launched a consultation to ask people to e-mail in with suggestions for simply healthy recipes which young people could learn. If you think you have one that could be used local MP Sylvia Heal is encouraging people to email getcooking.consultation@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk