M&S ON BOARD TO SUPPORT GUILD COOKING IN SCHOOLS

The Craft Guild of Chefs (CGC) is delighted to announce that Marks and Spencer (M&S) Hospitality is to sponsor the Guild’s food appreciation workshops, which are planned to take place across the UK. The events, which were trialled earlier in the year, see CGC members visit school kitchens and domestic science classrooms to get parents and guardians cooking with their children.
The emphasis at the workshops, which will start to be rolled out fully into schools later this year, will be on back to basics. Knowledge of ingredients, cooking equipment, nutrition and cost savings will all be talked about by the chefs. The workshops are hands-on, so having fun while cooking is the central theme that the Guild wants to promote.
“Marks and Spencer Hospitality is the fourth largest coffee shop group in the UK,” said Jason Danciger, head of Hospitality at M&S. “We are proud to support the Craft Guild of Chefs in this fantastic initiative for schools.
“M&S Hospitality also has one of the largest restaurant groups too, with over 70 eateries in addition to its 300 coffee shops, which vary from premium and casual dining to champagne bars and hot food take-away counters. There are also 40 M&S eateries worldwide, which is growing at a fast pace. This offers incredible career opportunities for chefs, bakers, butchers, baristas and food service professionals.”
The next food appreciation day is planned for the 20th October at the Simon Balle School in Herford. Matt Owens from dessert creators Zuidam and Mark Rigby from Premier Foods, who have backed the venture from the beginning, will be running the workshop.
Despite an increase in cooking related shows in the mainstream media, many families lack the understanding of what constitutes a healthy, nutritious and cost effective meal. They also miss out on the enjoyment that eating together as a family provides, and the simple pleasures and satisfaction of cooking and then eating food.
The CGC is hoping that more sponsors will be in place to help with ingredients. It is also looking at its business partners to find solutions for offering the workshop experience to schools who don’t have great catering facilities.
For more information on the cooking in schools initiative visit www.craftguildofchefs.org, follow the Guild on twitter @Craft_Guild or email [email protected]. You can also visit the Guild’s facebook page or join their LinkedIn group.

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