The program’s goal is to ensure every child has the opportunity to prepare, cook, and taste fish before they leave school.

Through this experience, students not only learnt how to prepare delicious dishes with mussels but also gained valuable insights into sustainability and the importance of healthy eating during their practical food classes.

Simon Gray, Senior Associate at the Food Teachers Centre, highlighted the importance of this initiative: “94% of our teachers surveyed in 2020 wanted their pupils to use different fish and not to be scared of trying something new, but less than half of them used fresh or frozen fish. This unique opportunity overcomes the obstacles teachers face with regards to cost, sourcing fresh fish, and cooking skills in schools to introduce students to wild, sustainable, healthy and delicious fish. We’ve created training to build teachers’ confidence, recipes to make their lesson run smoothly and delivered high quality fish that schools will love to try. We are excited to see the difference this will make to young people in the future.”

To support educators, the Food Teachers Centre has provided a variety of resources, including detailed lesson plans, video tutorials, and specialised training workshops.

Mrs. Aldridge, one of our Food and Nutrition teachers and Subject Lead for Food Technology, expressed her enthusiasm, saying: “We are thrilled that we have been selected to receive the free fish for our school. It means that our students can not only learn about wild fisheries and the different tastes, textures and usages, but also learn how to cook with the fish themselves.”

Thanks to this initiative, students at Stoke Damerel Community College are developing lifelong skills, gaining a better understanding of sustainability, and embracing the joys of trying new, healthy foods.