THE celebrity chef Raymond Blanc is due to be the main speaker
at a food conference at St Mary's C of E School, Haddenham,
Buckinghamshire, today.
Mr Blanc will be returning to the school after his first visit
in January, when, after demonstrating to pupils how to cook simple
food with fresh ingredients, he used the school's new Eco Lodge to
help children create "Mice in mayonnaise".
On that occasion, he was accompanied by his son, Olivier Blanc,
and the actress Charlotte Salt to launch the app Henri le Worm,
which encourages children to discover more about food.
Joining Mr Blanc for the conference next week are the
nutritionist Amanda Ursell; Tam Fry, who chairs the National
Obesity Forum; Chris Collins, who was a gardener on BBC TV's
Blue Peter; and Juliane Noble, from the Jamie Oliver
Foundation.
The school's head teacher, Karen Collett, is bidding for funding
to improve her school kitchen. She aims to find a healthy solution
to a Government initiative that stipulates the return of free
school meals from September.
The school does not have an adequate kitchen, and Mrs Collett
wishes to ensure that the school does not serve up mass-produced,
airline-style meals. She said: "I've become a bit of a spokesperson
for Buckinghamshire schools on this. I'm bidding for funds for a
kitchen, with food education coming back on to the curriculum, for
teaching children about cooking, and for producing healthy
food."
In her bid for funding she says: "We believe that if children
learn to eat well, they will eat well as adults. We also believe
that children who eat well, learn well."