For over 35 years, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ ‘Adopt a School’ programme, led by regional chefs and supported by dedicated volunteers, has provided children and young people with essential culinary skills, fostering their confidence and equipping them with the knowledge necessary to make informed, healthy, and sustainable dietary choices. Through this innovative programme, the team continue to spark children’s curiosity about future careers within food and hospitality. The Cooks’ Charity continues to be a major supporter and gave a grant of £30,000 in 2024.
Team Activity in Numbers
From September 2024 to May 2025, regional teams in London, Sussex, West Midlands, Northwest, and Northeast delivered 12,095 child-sessions of food education in schools and other settings such as hospital schools, youth clubs, festivals, and special educational needs centres. In addition, and in partnership with Prept Foundation, 15 ‘Chef on the Farm’ sessions have been held at Plumpton College, engaging 416 children in hands-on learning experiences connecting food to farming.
Volunteer Impact & Highlights
The brigade of volunteer chefs and hospitality
professionals are essential to extending ‘Adopt a School’s’ reach and impact across the country. Their expertise and passion bring food education to life, inspiring children and young people and supporting schools facing increasing challenges in delivering this vital part of the curriculum.
Since September 2024, AAS volunteers have delivered 3,837 child-sessions of food education in schools.
Highlights
In the News – BBC One’s Spotlight programme
A recent feature on BBC One’s Spotlight programme and online, highlighted volunteer chefs Greg Popek and Reece Williscroft from BaxterStorey delivering the programme at their adopted school, Marine Academy in Plymouth. The feature not only raised awareness of Adopt a School and its positive impact but also supports ongoing work to keep food education high on the public agenda. It highlights the hospitality industry’s commitment to giving back by actively supporting food education and nurturing the next generation.
The coverage showed pupils practising knife skills to prepare a healthy salad, incorporating beans as a sustainable protein, and using different seasonings for flavour instead of salt to encourage healthier eating habits. They also focused on expressing creativity in food presentation.
Isla, a Year 5 pupil, reflected on her experience:
“It’s helped me learn how much spice and which vegetables to use and how to cut things safely.” After the broadcast, many local schools expressed a strong desire to participate in the ‘Adopt a School’ programme, demonstrating the programme’s positive effects. This heightened interest also underscores why it is crucial to have a robust and widely distributed network of volunteers nationwide to support the growing demand from schools.
Extending Learning Through Direct Hospitality Experiences
Volunteers also offer children unique learning experiences through establishment visits, giving them firsthand insights into the industry. Pupils from Shute Primary were recently hosted for a bread-making session at The Pig at Combe with chef Charlotte Slazynska.
After participating in an in-school Front of House session led by Adam Hill, Train Manager for the Belmond British Pullman, students from St Mary’s RC Primary School in Battersea were invited to visit the Pullman train at London Victoria prior to their scheduled trip in June. This visit allows the students to connect their classroom studies with experiences in a hospitality environment. It also demonstrates the range of opportunities within the hospitality industry.
Connecting Practical Cooking Skills with Nutrition and Sustainability
Executive Chef Tom Scade of The Vineyard facilitated a Taste and Sensory session at Baydon St Nicholas Primary School. The objective of this session was to engage students’ senses—sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing—in the exploration of food, while also providing education on balanced nutrition through The Eatwell Guide and encouraging curiosity about diverse flavours and ingredients.
At Culver House Primary School in Mitcham, Mark Errington, Sous Chef at the House of Commons, facilitated an interactive knife skills workshop. During this session, students prepared a garden-inspired salad featuring a selection of vegetables, quinoa, seeds, and edible flowers to demonstrate the plant growth cycle. The session effectively integrated culinary instruction with lessons on environmental awareness.
Strengthening Our Volunteer Network
The AAS volunteer network continues to grow, reflecting strong and sustained interest from the industry in supporting food education. This growth has led to increased demand for training delivered by the regional chef team, ensuring volunteers are well equipped to deliver engaging, high-quality sessions.
Since January, four in-person training sessions have been delivered, bringing the total for this academic year to nine in-person sessions, plus one online refresher.
- Three Adopt a School training sessions took place in central London with attendees from The PIG, Vacherin, Aramark, BaxterStorey, Exclusive, and Fairmont.
- On-site training was held in Solihull for BaxterStorey chefs, with additional sessions planned in the Northwest to further build the volunteer network.
- The University of West London hosted Adopt a School training for Harrison Catering, whose chefs now deliver the programme and promote healthy eating and food education throughout the school day.
These newly trained chefs are now being actively connected to schools, with many expected to begin delivering the programme imminently. Extending Skills and Supporting the Curriculum
Partnering with schools enables the Adopt a School programme to better support curriculum delivery and enhance students’ learning through ongoing, multi-year development.
For example, at Tirlebrook Primary School, Executive Chef Idris Caldora has helped Year 6 students improve their cooking skills since Year 2. Their recent risotto session ended with a shared meal, encouraging children to try new foods together.
Likewise, Northwest Chef James Holden taught Year 5 pupils at St James’s Catholic Primary School to make Youveski, linking food education to their Greece project.
These sessions show that the Adopt a School programme enables practical cooking in classrooms, even without full kitchens or specialist staff, helping schools overcome resource limitations.
The Wider Reach of the Adopt a School Programme
Adopt a School volunteers and the regional chef team deliver the programme in schools and various community settings, building essential skills and increasing understanding of how food supports healthy diets, physical wellbeing, and mental health.
Hospital Schools
Since January, two Adopt a School sessions have been held at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
In March, William Best MCA from Brooks’s Club taught pupils how to prepare an exotic fruit salad with produce supplied by Le Marché Ltd, introducing children to new fruits like kumquats and rambutans and ending with planting golden passion fruit seeds.
In May, London Regional Chef Amandeep Verdding led a Summer Couscous Salad session focusing on practical, nutritious cooking.
Ashley Marsh, Adopt a School regional chef and University of West London Chef Lecturer, delivers monthly sessions at Chelsea and Westminster Community Hospital, offering food education and hands-on skills to young people whose schooling has been disrupted by health issues.
Community Partnerships
In April, James Holden, Adopt a School’s Northwest chef, worked with LFC Foundation on a project where teenagers used surplus food to prepare 180 meals for local homeless charities, reducing waste and building cooking skills.
Adopt a School is integral to LFC Foundation’s football camps and lifestyle courses, delivering nutrition sessions that help young people choose healthier foods and make homemade dishes like Creamy Chicken Fajita Rigatoni and Teriyaki Sesame Chicken.
Through Everton in the Community, Adopt a School also offers four-week healthy eating and cookery courses for adults with mental health challenges, helping promote wellbeing at all ages.
Food Festivals
Food festivals are instrumental in enhancing the visibility of Adopt a School by presenting food education to a broad range of audiences within interactive and informal environments.
James Holden celebrated his 12th year at the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Festival, leading 18 cookery sessions for 450 children and families, with added inspiration from Nisha Katona.
Ashley Marsh presented Adopt a School at the Christchurch Food Festival in Dorset, conducting a Taste and Sensory session with Chef James Golding.
Fundraising Events
Fundraising events raise essential funds and awareness to Adopt a School, thanks to the involvement of RACA members, industry partners, and a network of other supporters.
These events also give children from adopted schools a rare chance to experience hospitality first-hand. They meet chefs and culinary students, tour professional kitchens, and help serve canapés, gaining confidence and communication skills while discovering career pathways in hospitality.
In February, St Mary’s RC Primary School students served canapés at our annual dinner at Capital City College Westminster Centre, with guest chefs Russell Bateman, Deepak Mallya, Julie Sharp, and Mark Tilling.
Last month, the Take 3 Colleges Fundraising Dinner at the Royal Automobile Club featured chefs Roberta Hall-McCarron, Lisa Goodwin-Allen, and Franciane Tartari, who cooked with students from multiple colleges. University College Birmingham students managed service, and Hogarth Primary School pupils served canapés to over 120 guests.
These initiatives have raised over £33,000 to directly support the Adopt a School programme.
