PUPILS at Bryn Awel Primary School in Caerphilly are discovering their creative side with weekly cooking workshops that put children at the heart of preparing and exploring healthy food.
The classes form part of the Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme, in which Bryn Awel has participated since October 2024. Delivered in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation and Groundwork UK, the programme provides funding for schools to purchase fruit and veg, helping increase children’s access to healthy food throughout the school day.
From September 2026, the Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme will double in size, expanding from 500 to over 1,000 schools and supporting more than 388,000 children across the UK, helping even more pupils build confidence, curiosity and creativity with fruit and vegetables.
At Bryn Awel, pupils are actively involved in every stage of the cooking process from choosing ingredients, preparing simple recipes and creating dishes of their own. From fruit kebabs and salads to soups and wraps, the workshops encourage children to experiment, helping them build confidence and a more positive relationship with healthy food.
Anna Jones, Reception and Year One teacher at Bryn Awel Primary School, said: “Our weekly cooking workshops are something the children really look forward to.
“When children are involved from the start and feel proud of what they’ve made, they’re much more willing to try new foods.
“The programme has allowed us to build these sessions into our routine, even at a time when school budgets are under pressure. Having that support means we can keep giving pupils these positive, hands‑on experiences with fruit and vegetables.”
The programme comes as new research from Tesco finds only one in ten UK children eat their recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables on a typical school day, with more than a third (37.5%) of parents saying their child refuses fruit and veg altogether.
But the findings also show what does work when it comes to getting five a day into kids, with nearly three-quarters (73%) of parents and carers say making food fun or visually creative encourages children to try more.
The benefits extend beyond food education, and teachers have seen pupils develop skills across the curriculum, including literacy, numeracy and IT skills. Anna added: “The children practise reading when they follow recipes and safety instructions and using their numeracy skills when they are weighing and counting ingredients. We even create videos of our cooking, and the kids have such a great time adding voiceovers, which builds their confidence and IT skills too.”
That link between creativity, cooking and healthier eating is why Tesco is encouraging more schools to take part in the Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge, inviting pupils to get creative in the kitchen and submit their own fruit and veg recipes. By making healthy eating practical, enjoyable and child‑led, the challenge aims to help embed positive habits that last beyond the classroom.
Parents have also noticed the difference impact at home. Cath Francis, a parent who helps with the workshops, said the sense of excitement around healthy food has been one of the biggest changes
She added: “The children get so excited for fruit and vegetables, which wasn’t some something that was this common before. Because they have so much fun in the workshops, they feel proud of what they’ve made.
“My little one will even ask for lettuce and peppers at home so they can make what they made in school.”
For pupils, the workshops have quickly become a highlight of the school week. Year One pupils Cody, Freya, Mylah, Navara and Regan shared some of their favourite things they have made so far, including fruit kebabs, pumpkin soup, fruit salads, ham salad wraps and dishes featuring strawberries. Learning how to prepare new foods and recreating recipes they’ve seen online were also among their favourite parts of the sessions.
To learn more about the Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools programme, and how to enter the nationwide competition, , visit The Tesco Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge webpage.
