Getting the District's young people interested in food is a tall order, and one tackled by the 3F challenge - The Future of Food is Fun - an initiative by Stratford-on-Avon District Council and partners*.
On 29 April the 3F challenge was launched at St. Benedict's Catholic High School, Alcester, as part of a Business Enterprise Day where over 100 pupils took part in the challenge. Pupils were given professional briefings on topics such as healthy eating, food safety, the hospitality industry, budget, customer care and marketing. Teams of pupils then designed a menu making use of the skills they had learned.
The winning team "Fish" from St. Benedict's has been invited to whip up some culinary magic at the award-winning Bell Inn Welford-on-Avon on Monday 19 May. Members of the team will be working in all areas of the pub; from front of house to food preparation and cooking.
As well as parents and relatives of the pupils, guests will include VIP's, Harry Potter star David Bradley, the Chairman of Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Councillor Stuart Beese, teachers and partner organisations involved in the event.
This is a significant project particularly in light of the national rise in obesity, with 1 in 5 residents of the Stratford District being classed as obese (http://www.wmro.org/homeTemplate.aspx/Home). Cooking skills are not currently compulsory within the national curriculum, but those learned through the 3F challenge will be valuable for these pupils. Other schools in the Stratford-on-Avon District will have the opportunity to take part in the 3F challenge later this year.
*Notes, Partners in the 3F challenge are: The Bell Inn, Welford-on-Avon together with Warwickshire Education Business Partnership and South Warwickshire Dietetic Service.
