The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ Adopt a School Trust joined forces with Table Talk Foundation to open an exciting, new community training kitchen at Plumpton Land and Environment College in Sussex, thanks to intense fund-raising activity.
The training kitchen provides a base in Sussex to enhance the Charity’s commitment to providing food education to children in an environment that can really inspire them and where they can get their hands messy! The farm to fork sessions at the training kitchen will complement the sessions that new Sussex-based chef and Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Member and Fellow, John McManus, has been delivering in primary schools across the region since January 2022.
Over 100 guests attended the launch event in March and were given a tour of the amazing facilities, shown the beautiful surroundings of the farm where the building is sited and saw first-hand just how wonderful it will be for the children to experience.
The Adopt a School ‘Chef on the Farm days at Plumpton College’ were piloted with five local Sussex schools and a wider roll out of the project will begin in September. The sessions give the children a chance to work with a professional chef and a farm educator. They explore the working farm and dairy, learning about where food comes from, how food is produced and the importance of a healthy diet. They also learn new cooking skills and ‘have a go’ trying them out in the fully equipped kitchen by making lunch for themselves and their teachers on the day. The sessions link perfectly with the KS2 D&T curriculum.
About Adopt a School
The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ Adopt a School has been running for over 32 years and pre-pandemic reached 17,000 primary school children each year. Their vision is that every child has the confidence to eat well, be healthy and happy. They run a programme of interactive chef-led cooking sessions, ranging from taste and sensory, knife skills, bread-making and front of house which help children develop healthy eating habits and encourages an interest in food and cooking, as well as giving an insight into the hospitality industry.
For more information about Adopt a School or to get involved, contact
