Under-fives at an Islington Children's Centre will soon be very hands on at meal times thanks to a unique partnership with a local gastro pub.
Kate Greenaway Children’s Centre in N1 is getting ready to launch a community kitchen which will transform the way food is prepared and served for the young children who go there.
Staff at Kate Greenaway will be working with nearby gastro pub The Duke of Cambridge to create menus for the children’s centre based around seasonal, fresh produce, the majority of which is organic and locally sourced.
The newly built kitchen at the centre based in N1, will enable children, their parents and local families to learn about and get involved in cooking healthy, nutritionally balanced meals from scratch.
Head of Kate Greenaway, Julian Grenier decided to make changes to the way food was prepared and served after consulting with parents. He said:
“We’re really looking forward to June when the kitchen will be properly up and running. The next step for us it to find a nursery cook who can engage the children in all aspects of food preparation and we’re currently recruiting for this role.
“Children at Kate Greenaway are already enjoying helping to grow vegetables and herbs in the garden, and it’s important for them to understand the processes that food goes through before it arrives on their plates as a meal.
“We want our approach to nutrition to fit with everything else we do; to be adapted to the specific needs of children under five, to involve them and to promote their independence.”
Parents at Kate Greenaway helped to raise money for the new kitchen through a series of fund raising events. A specialist cook will now be recruited to run the kitchen and the new menus will be rolled out from June. The children’s centre is also planning to offer more cooking sessions to local families from July onwards, giving parents and carers a chance to learn new cookery skills and work with their children preparing snacks and meals.
The Duke of Cambridge is the UK's first and only gastro pub to be certified by the Soil Association. Geetie Singh, owner and founder of the pub said:
“Children are the future of our food industry. If we don’t supply them with the information, experience and habits they need from a young age, how are they going to make informed choices as teenagers and adults? The fantastic work that Julian and the team at Kate Greenaway are doing with their kids and parents is pioneering and inspirational.”
ENDS.
Page Last Updated: 12 June 2009