In a Jamie Oliver style cooking demonstration children from the Priory Primary School learnt the basics of how to make healthy, cheap, quick and easy food earlier this week.

Merton College Chef Philippe Degand gave a cooking demonstration to nine and ten year olds at The Priory as part of the school’s “Celebrating Healthy Children’s Fortnight” (23 June – 4 July). The fortnight is an initiative set up by the school to encourage children to be healthy – not just physically, but emotionally and mentally too.

Apart from cooking, activities during the fortnight included football and netball games; a spelling competition and mental maths challenges. The children also took part in an inter house challenge to come up with ways to make their school more environmentally friendly including ideas on how they could recycle and save electricity. Children also earned points by thinking of ways to stop bullying, eating healthy packed lunches and eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

Head Teacher at the Priory, Jane White, said: “Promoting a healthy lifestyle is a priority at The Priory. We believe a child’s mental and emotional well-being contributes to their overall health and performance at school and we are always looking for ways to get our children to be as healthy as possible.”

Merton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Debbie Shears said:
“It is really important that children learn the value of a healthy lifestyle at a young age and the Priory’s focus on the mental and emotional well-being of its pupils is to be commended. This is yet another example of a Merton school providing a well-rounded and quality curriculum so that children can achieve their potential.”

Notes to Editors:
– Pictures of the cooking demonstration at The Priory available on request.