• Leiths, the cooking school founded by Dame Prue Leith, will provide free resources to ensure every child can cook nutritious food from scratch by the time they leave primary school.

• Programme will plug huge gap in food literacy exposed by new research that shows more than 75% of primary pupils did not receive regular cookery lessons - despite government guidance that a diet based on natural ingredients, cooked from scratch is linked to positive health outcomes for children and adults.

10.02.2026, LONDON: Leiths, the cooking school founded by Dame Prue Leith 50 years ago, will teach every child at non-fee paying pre- and primary schools in the UK to cook through a new free cooking programme.

The programme is launched today by founder of Leiths, Dame Prue, and Joe Powell MP, at St Clement & St James primary school in West London, and will see the cooking legend and recently retired Bake Off star surprising Year 1 and 2 children during their lessons. Leiths was founded in 1975 by Dame Prue Leith, supported by Lady Caroline Waldegrave as Principal.

Newly published research, following a year-long pilot programme conducted by Leiths, shows that more than 75% of primary pupils did not receive regular cookery lessons before the Leiths resources became available.

This is despite Government guidance that a diet based on natural ingredients cooked from scratch is linked to positive health outcomes for children and adults, as well as commitments from the Government to raise the healthiest generation of children and improve life skills for all children.

Dame Prue Leith said: “I would encourage all primary schools to make use of this new free programme, to ensure every child learns about food, nutrition and cooking from their very first years in education. I am passionate about our duty to teach young people to eat well, to understand where ingredients come from, how to prepare them, and to learn to cook a wide range of healthy and nutritious food. If we can also give them some really basic practical cooking skills to enable them to cook for themselves, we set them up for life.”

Leiths’ primary cookery programme is now available to all non-fee paying pre-school and primary schools for free, following a year-long pilot that proved a huge hit with pupils and teachers around the UK. Through an online portal featuring cook along videos and recipes, children learn about where food comes from, how to prepare fresh food and handle kitchen equipment safely, and how to create delicious and nutritious meals for themselves and their families and friends.

Ellie Dowthwaite, Head of School at St Clement & St James school said: “It’s easy to underestimate the impact of learning to make a bruschetta or preparing a cheesecake, but practical cooking lessons have been transformational for our pupils. They have tried new ingredients and excitedly told their families about the dishes they have cooked and want to try again. Beyond the real benefits of learning how to cook, there are key life skills that can be taught through practical cookery which are not ‘nice to haves’ – they’re essential for young people. Practical cooking in primary schools ticks so many boxes – from teaching children transferable life skills like healthy eating, sharing a meal with others, following instructions and working as a team, as well as benefitting their broader education including everything from literacy to maths and science. As a head of school, I am passionate that all primary age children should have access to these lessons.”

The research, published following a pilot in 45 diverse schools and over 4,600 pupils across the UK over a whole academic year, shows regular practical cooking lessons using Leiths’ primary programme delivered significant improvement in pupils’ cooking skills (82% of respondents), their understanding of healthy eating (41% of respondents) as well as essential life skills including food safety and hygiene (59% of respondents).

Schools reported that pupils developed a greater understanding of a wide range of transferable skills like following instructions (77%) working independently (59%) and as part of a team (72%). Teachers also reported that pupils had greater engagement with other core curriculum subjects such as maths, science, and PSHE, as a result of their practical cookery lessons.

79% of respondents reported parents and carers were pleased their child was having practical cooking lessons at school, and 89% of respondents strongly agreed that food education should have more time in the curriculum. 50% of respondents reported that pupils had shared their cookery experience at home.

Maria Dunbar, CEO at Leiths Education said: “We now know from our first-hand experience in primary schools that if children have the opportunity to engage in regular high-quality practical cooking lessons, the benefits are real and far reaching. Cookery lessons in school are not only fun and engaging but are also a powerful tool for engaging children across the wider curriculum and preparing them for the next stages of their lives. Leiths is on a mission to make sure every child can cook by the time they leave primary school and is calling for regular practical cooking lessons to be part of the curriculum.”

Despite the known benefits of mastering practical cookery skills from a young age, primary schools have faced barriers in successfully planning and delivering high-quality lessons in this subject area. The Leiths programme has been built on decades of teaching experience, shaped in collaboration with education professionals and enriched by hands-on chef experience.

Joe Powell, Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater said: "Giving children the opportunity to learn the essential skills needed to prepare and cook nutritious, healthy food is so important, not only for their wellbeing, but also because it supports learning across the curriculum, including maths and science. I know how valuable it is for children and families to share the joy of mealtimes, and when children learn about food at school, that enthusiasm so often carries through into the home."

The courses are designed to be simple, easy, and enjoyable, with some recipes costing as little as 40p per student and designed to be shared with classmates, family, and friends. Lessons in the programme include a host of resources including tasty recipes with cook along videos featuring a Leiths chef teacher, detailed lesson plans, PowerPoints, student activity sheets, scalable ingredient and equipment lists. The programme is carefully mapped to ensure pupils learn how to prepare a wide range of fresh ingredients from scratch and how to use everyday kitchen equipment safely.

Recipes include:

● Pea, basil, and tomato bruschetta

● Greek salad pitta pots

● Upside-down lime cheesecakes

Chris Sculthorpe, health improvement specialist, East Sussex School Health Service said: “Leiths have created a rich and wonderful resource for schools with their new suite of lessons and other resources aimed at Key Stages 1 & 2. A real challenge exists at the moment for schools around teaching their pupils about the importance of healthy eating and offering them opportunities to learn to cook real food in a way that they will enjoy and which will stay with them as they grow older. The health and wellbeing benefits of children learning about nutrition, where their food comes from, how to enjoy eating together with others and the cultural importance of food are clear and these resources will be an excellent component of any school’s whole school approach to Health Eating.”

ENDS

Media contacts:

• leiths@bbpartners.co.uk

• Julia Harris | julia@bbpartners.co.uk |

Key evidence from The Leiths Education Primary School Cookery Pilot

Key evidence from the report - delivering on Government priorities

This Government has made clear that its key priorities include:

1. Raising the healthiest generation of children in history

2. Ensuring every young person has a cast-iron grip on the basics of reading, science and maths

3. Providing young people with the knowledge and skills required for life and work over the next decade

Leiths’ evidence shows that regular practical cooking lessons starting in primary schools deliver on all of the above.

Parents reported to teaching staff that children who were fussy eaters were trying new foods at home, asking for vegetables and teaching their families new recipes. Teachers reported that they successfully delivered subjects such as maths, science, PSHE, DT and languages using cross-curricular suggestions in the Leiths programme.

Raising the healthiest generation of children in history:

• 41% of respondents said that pupils improved their understanding of healthy eating through the primary pilot

• 15% of respondents reported pupils have changed their eating habits since participating in the Pilot

• 27% of respondents said pupils have applied their skills outside of school, for example cooking at home

Teachers told us that children gain a greater understanding of healthy eating, they display an increased willingness to try new vegetables and ask their family to buy fruit and vegetables like tomatoes, peas and butternut squashes they previously refused at home.

Ensuring every young person has a cast-iron grip on the basics of reading, science and maths

• 89% of respondents strongly agree that food education should have more space in the curriculum

• 79% of respondents have reported that pupils engaged well with practical cookery lessons

• Seven schools reported pupils' progress in related subjects, such as maths through measuring

Teachers said that making something to eat is so motivating that children start to see the point to subjects like maths and science, because numeracy is important to be able to measure and weigh accurately, and changes of state and temperature make the difference between a cheese and chive bread being ready to eat or not. Literacy becomes so important because children are able to follow a recipe by themselves.

Providing young people with the knowledge and skills required for life and work over the next decade:

• 50% of respondents reported pupils have shared their cookery experiences with parents at home

• 77% of respondents reported that pupils became better at following instructions

• 59% of respondents noted that pupils developed their ability to work independently and 72% noted pupils improved their ability to work as a team

Teachers told us that children gain crucial life skills in how to cook a meal from scratch and learn so much in the process such as team work, independence and following instructions. Teachers told us that children had lots of questions about the food service industry and about the roles of the different professionals who are involved in producing meals that are served to them in food outlets.

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