Lidl and Ormiston Denes Academy join forces for cooking lessons

The academy, part of the Ormiston Academies Trust and based in Lowestoft, has teamed up with Lidl to deliver cooking lessons through their Ingredients into Schools project.

These lessons are part of a pilot supported by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and the British Nutrition Foundation.

The academy's aspiring chefs have been learning to prepare orange glazed one-pan pork or veggie dishes using ingredients donated by the supermarket chain.

The classes also aimed to teach children about healthy eating (Image: Ormiston Denes Academy)

As well as teaching culinary skills, these lessons are helping the students increase their kitchen confidence.

A year 10 pupil at the academy said: "I really enjoyed making this dish as it was quite easy to make and it was nice to work with a different ingredient."

Another added: "The dish tasted really nice, the sweetness of the honey with the orange juice with the pork and rice made it really tasty."

The initiative also involves working with farmers, thus supporting the British farming industry by helping to share high-quality and nutritious foods with young people.

They learned to prepare orange glazed one-pan pork or veggie dishes (Image: Ormiston Denes Academy)

The aim is to help students not only develop a love for cooking but also gain knowledge about balanced, nutritious meals.

Principal at Ormiston Denes Academy, Kate Williams said: “It has been excellent to see our students get really stuck into and inspired by cooking, learning more about the important skills and knowledge that goes into preparing a healthy, balanced meal and creating some delicious food at the same time!

“At Ormiston Denes, we are always focusing on creating new and exciting learning opportunities for our students within our curriculum, and this project is a clear example of how this focus really boosts our young people’s personal development and applicable skills.”