Delicious UK - (05)May 2020

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 25

making a difference.

PHOTOGRAPHS:

HARRIET

CLARE,

ISTOCK/GETTY

IMAGES.*YOUGOV

SURVEY,

MARCH

2020,

FOOD

FOUNDATION

Severalmonthsagowewroteabout

a charityimprovingschoolfood.Here’s

an update on co-founder Nicole...

In2015,chefNicolePisanitraded

a professionalkitchenforcooking

ata Londonprimaryschool.Three

yearslatersheco-foundedthe

charityChefsinSchoolswith

HenryDimbleby,thecampaigner

andco-founderofhealthyfast-food

chainLeon.Thecharityworksto

improvethehealthofschool-age

childrenbyempoweringschool

chefstocookfromscratchusing

restaurant-styleskills,andaround

30 schoolscurrentlybenefitfromit.

“Wecookoverfire,makebread,

growvegetables,”Nicoleexplains.

“Thechildrenmakeallsortsof

dessertswithasmuchvegas

possible– beetrootbrowniesand

carrotcake...Theycanbeexcited

aboutgratingcheese!”

The closure of UK schools in

NICOLEPISANI

THECHEFGOING

ABOVEANDBEYOND

FORVULNERABLE

FAMILIES

Marchhighlighteda hostofissues

• includingchildren’saccessto
  food.Around1.3millionchildren
  inEnglandalonereceivefreeschool
  meals,andformanyschoolsinthe
  ChefsinSchoolsnetwork,uptakeis
  over 50 percent.Schoolholidays–
  orclosures– canmeanhunger.
  A surveyconducteddaysintothe
  UK’slockdownfoundthatmore
  than 50 percentofparentswere
  worriedaboutgettingthefoodthey
  needed,particularlyfruitandveg*.
  Whiletherewasfrustrationat
  thegovernment’sdelayingetting
  supermarketvoucherstofamilies,
  beforeschoolgateshadevenclosed
  ChefsinSchoolswaslinkingschool
  headswithchefsandfoodsuppliers.
  Initially,teamsattwoHackney
  primariesprepareda dailyhotmeal
  tobepickedup.Byweektwo,there
  werethreehubsinHackney
  supplying 450 families,vianine
  schoolsinthearea,andthemodel
  adaptedtoa weeklylunchbox
  scheme.Crateswerepackedwith
  nutritiousfreshsoups,curriesand
  pasta,pluseggs,yogurtandveg –
  enoughfor7,500lunches.
  WorkcontinuedoverEaster.
  Volunteerscamefromclosed
  restaurant kitchens. Manorfield

Primary,a hubprovidingmealsfor

TowerHamletsschools,made

headlineswhenchefsfromThe

Dorchesterpitchedin.“Chefswere

gladtohelpbecausethey’dgone

fromdoing 16 hoursa dayto being

athome,”saysNicole.

Foodredistributioncharities

TheFelixProjectandFareShare

donatedglutsoffreshproduce.

“Itwasa Ready,Steady,

Cooksituation,

openingthefridge

andseeingwhatwe

couldmake,”says

Nicole.“Wehad 40

kilosofmushrooms,

somespinachand

a parsnip!”

Newchallengesarise

daily,frommakingsafe-standing

roomforchefsandqueuingparents

(achievedusinghulahoops)to

establishinga homedelivery

service,butNicoleandteam

havea fightingspirit:“We’restill

pursuingourcoremission: feeding

kidsnutritiousmeals.”

ChefsinSchoolswelcomesdonations

andwouldlovetohearfromdelivery

firms,chefswhocandonatetimeand

schoolsthatneedhelporcanactas

a hub. Visit chefsinschools.org.uk

“Iwasdetermined

lockdownwouldn’t

affectusproviding

kidswithnutritious

meals – every day”

Schoolchildren

arebeingsaved

fromgoing

hungrythanksto

Nicoleandher

team of helpers