Fun Food Workshops
An Added Value Service Supplied to Your Pupils by Juniper
Hello Headteacher,
We are Kerry and Rachel, your Food Development Team at Juniper Ventures Ltd.
As trained chefs with many years of experience in establishments such as Champneys, we love working on creating for your pupils, new and tempting menus, using fresh, quality ingredients. However, without question, one of the most rewarding and fulfilling parts of our role is delivering our exciting food workshops to children and parents across the communities we serve.
Building Food Confidence
We all recognise the increasing need to encourage children to broaden their diets and try new foods. It is only by maintaining a balanced diet that they can perform at their best while in school and at home. Enjoying a wide range of foods in the correct ratios, increases their energy levels, improves behaviour and ability to concentrate and increases their capacity for contributing and learning.
With the best will in the world, busy lunchtime dining rooms are not the best environment for encouraging young children to take a chance and try new foods.
Our workshops, therefore, are designed to increase pupil engagement with food, thereby supporting the work we do on your school menus. By creating a fun, relaxed environment, we can encourage your children to take a risk and step out of their comfort zone.
Success is guaranteed!
Without exception, although they are often cautious upon arriving at the session, they leave happy, enthusiastic and more open to trying new foods when they eventually appear on the lunchtime menus.
This leaflet describes the amazing workshops that we are proud to supply, completely free of charge, to your school as part of your current catering contract.
We look forward to cooking for you soon.
Kerry and Rachel
Food Workshops – The Facts
This leaflet describes the nine standard workshops that we currently provide. Further, tailored workshops can be developed on request.
Many of the workshops include content that supports the curriculum.
Each session usually lasts between 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Workshop group sizes are dependent on the venue that you can provide. We can accommodate between 10 and 60 children per session. For larger groups we do require a class teacher and/or teaching assistants to be in attendance.
Though the most popular choice is to have one or two full classes attend the workshop, it is completely up to you to decide which children you choose.
Parent and pupil workshops are normally limited to fifteen parents and fifteen children.
All sessions take place within the normal school day.
We can supply messages, promoting your planned workshop, that are suitable for inclusion on your school website and newsletters.
Sessions can be arranged with only two weeks’ notice, however, they are provided on a first come, first served basis and we tend to get booked up quite quickly. To guarantee your slot, it is advisable to give as much notice as possible.
As a way of adding value to your catering contract, we will each year, provide your school with two fantastic workshops of your choice. Don’t miss out. To help cover costs, we may make a small charge if additional sessions are required.
To arrange your workshop, contact Kerry or Rachel directly: Kerry.powell@juniperventures.co.uk (07976729571) Rachel.hamilton@juniperventures.co.uk (07976721901)
PupilTastingSessionsareheldinadditiontoourworkshopsandtakeplaceinadvanceofournewmenusbeingintroduced.
Theygiveyourpupilstheopportunitytotryoutandcommentuponthedeliciousnewdishesplannedforthecomingseason. ContactKerryorRachelifyou’dliketobookatastingsessionatyourschool.
Sensory Challenge
A fun and different way for your pupils to explore the senses and their relationship with food. Focusing on taste, touch, smell, sound and vision, the workshop investigates the way that our senses inform and manage our expectations of the foods we are about to eat. It promotes the message that if they are prepared to be open-minded and not be put off by how something may look and feel, then they just might enjoy some nice surprises.
Children love exploring the sensory boxes packed with different fruit & vegetables. They enjoy working out what each box contains using only touch, smell & sound.
Bread Making
Pupils are given the opportunity to learn about the history of bread, why it has become such an essential part of our diet and how bread-making has evolved over the centuries.
From the first flat bread and humble white loaf through to artisans and sourdough, we cover it all! Your pupils will enjoy making different breads in small groups. They then get the opportunity to taste everyone else’s work.
This workshop also looks at the ingredients that are used in making bread and the science around how bread rises. It also includes a fun facts bread quiz and the opportunity to take their hard work home
The workshop also takes account of the fact that the taste buds of young children are not fully developed and so includes a tasting session where the different parts of their tongue help them to identify salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umamis..
Watch out for some new, exciting mystery flavours!
Healthy Eating
With an emphasis on helping your pupils to discover that ‘healthy’ does not have to mean ‘boring’, this workshop encourages pupils to make positive food choices and understand the benefits of healthy eating.
Pupils enjoy making and tasting their own appetising healthy foods including, yummy pasta salads, tasty teriyaki noodles and delicious wraps.
The session also provides your pupils with valuable life skills as they learn to use kitchen equipment and knives sensibly and safely in order to prepare a range of fresh vegetables and salads.
Pizza Making
Your pupils will help us to explore the history of pizza making, from the streets of Naples to the favourite ‘grab and go’ food snack that everyone has come to know and love today.
Pupils will get the opportunity to create their own pizzas, choosing from a range of delicious toppings to produce their own ‘special recipe’. Freshly baked on site, their creations are then available for them to eat or to take home.
Fresh Pasta Making
This is a great, fun workshop where pupils get to experience lots of different types of pasta whilst learning about its history.
The skills learned include:
Making fresh pasta
Handling pasta dough
Using a pasta machine
Making classical (and not so classical!) pasta shapes
All the pasta is freshly cooked on site and served with a tasty tomato & basil sauce for pupils to try.
The Bake –off Experience
This session is a great way to introduce pupils to baking, giving them the opportunity to gain new skills and knowledge. Pupils work together in small groups to follow recipes and create some delicious sponge cakes, flavoured using fresh fruits & vegetables – an activity which helps broaden their attitude towards these often unpopular foodstuffs.
Pupils get to sample their creations & take home four different flavoured cake slices: lemon & courgette, raspberry & coconut, chocolate & beetroot, carrot & cinnamon.
We guarantee that your school will smell wonderful!
The Smoothie Bike Experience
This is a popular and fun event for both pupils and teachers who both get to ride, make, & sample some delicious healthy, eco-friendly smoothies.
Our stationary smoothie bike uses pedal power to drive a blender, which in turn creates the smoothies. The bike is used as a fun way to underpin serious messages about healthy eating and the importance of a balanced diet.
The session includes a fun fruit quiz
Warning! Teachers may have to be firmly reminded to let their pupils have a turn of the bike.
What do the children think?
“Ihadalotoffunbakingthelemoncakeformymum. She ate all of it it’s her favourite.”
“Thechocolateandbeetrootwasmyfavourite.Ididn’t even taste the beetroot”.
“Ilikedthattheraspberryonewaspinkinsideandyou couldtasteit.Raspberriesaremyfavourite”
Allergen Awareness (for pupils and parents)
It’s far safer for a school to be allergen–aware than allergen-free.
Fatal allergic reactions are rare, but also very unpredictable. 17% per of fatal allergic reactions among children happen in school. At Juniper, we want to help reduce that risk. This interactive workshop offers a fun way to learn about allergens and gives advice around how to be ‘allergen smart’
The presentation looks at:
What is a food allergy?
Can’t go to school today (short, animated video)
Food intolerances
How to check labels (short fun video)
Introduction to the 14 allergens
Cooking Classes (for parents and pupils)
A fun & beneficial workshop, during which Kerry & Rachel will inspire and support parents, carers & their young helpers to produce delicious home-cooked meals using fresh, wholesome ingredients instead of relying on expensive, pre-packaged, ultra-processed foods.
Parents and children will learn basic cooking techniques and valuable life skills such as preparing and cutting vegetables. We also look at meal planning and how it can effectively be used to reduce the cost of the weekly shop and cut down food waste.
Parents are provided with a free booklet packed with lots of useful information and tips which can be used to generate meal ideas in the home. A short tasting session is held at the end of the class.
The reasons certain foods
e.g. nuts, are banned in school
Foods that are suitable for binging into school
e.g. for special events and in lunch boxes
The need for dining hall rules/how your behaviour can affect others
Feedback from previous workshops
IcannotrecommendKerryandRachelatJuniperhighlyenough.Theyhavenowdeliveredthreeabsolutelyfantasticfoodtasting workshopsforourYear5and6childrenwitharangeofverytastySpanishandMexicanfood.
Theyhavecreatedunique,mouth-wateringmenuseachtime.IthasbeenabrilliantwaytoenrichourSpanishlearningandthe childrenweredelighted(especiallywiththechurros!)Theyareprofessional,friendlyandveryresponsivetotheneedsofthechildren. Muchasgracias!
St.StephensSchool
HiLadies,wewantedtosaythankyouagainfortheworkshoptoday.Thechildrenhadalovelytimetryingthewiderangeofbreads. Theylearntalotandweresopleasedwhentheysawtheirownbakedbreadattheendoftheday.Wewerereallyimpressedwiththe organisationandspreadofitemsthathadbeenpreparedforus.
Itwasveryobviousyouhadspentalotoftimeandcaregettingitallready.Rarelydowegettositbackandwatchthechildrenhaveso muchfuninsuchasmoothsailingworkshop.Wewilldefinitelybeseeingyousometimesoon!Welldone!Andthankyouonceagain!
SophieWoodward,EllenWilkinson
AreallybigthankyoutoRachelandKerryforafantasticworkshop.ThesessionsforbothYears2and4wereverywellresourcedand thechildrenwereexcitedfromthemomenttheysteppedintothehall.RachelandKerryspentsometimeexplainingeachofthe stepsandmodellingthetaskclearlyforthechildren.Theywerefriendlyandhelpfulandreallysupportedthechildrenincompleting their tasks.
Theywereawareofachildwithaneggallergyinthegroupandtheycateredforherneedsbeautifullyandensuredthatshestilltook partwitheggalternativesandwasabletotakelotshometosharewithherfamilytoo.BesidesfromCarrot,veryfewchildrenhadever thoughtofincorporatingvegintotheircakesbutsincetheworkshop,theywereamazedandhavecommentedonhowtheyhave trieditagainathome!Onceagain,thankyouforyourhelpandforafantasticsession’.
AneesaDeda,RomanRoadSchool
Thankyousomuchfortodayitwas sonicetohavesomeparentsin,I wouldlovetodosomethingsimilar againinthefutureandamlooking forwardtohopefullygettingtowork withyouagainnextyear.Herearea fewquotes:
‘Thatwassonice.Thiswasfun’. ‘Wecantaketherecipehome andaddsomethingelsetoitlike strawberries’.
‘Inspiring’.
‘Nicetospendtimewithkidsand learnsomething’. Thesearethethingstheywill rememberforeverandIlovedbeing apartofit.Itissoimportantfor thechildrentolearntheseskills,I remember what I learnt at school and it’s so nice to be here with him to see it.
VictoriaLockhart,LathomSchool
To arrange your workshop, contact Kerry or Rachel directly:
Kerry.powell@juniperventures.co.uk 07976721901
Rachel.hamilton@juniperventures.co.uk 07976729571