Following its participation in Let’s Get Cooking’s Big Cookathon earlier in the year, young chefs from Catshill Middle School have now been presented with their community involvement prize in recognition for their outstanding efforts during the competition.

There were more than 230 schools that took part in the culinary contest, which was designed to get everyone enthusiastic about and interested in healthy eating and cooking.

Situated on Meadow Road in Bromsgrove, the Catshill school scooped the competition’s overall award as a result of having gone the extra mile to engage their local community to participate in the contest, through the provision of ingredients, as well as the cooking of them.

In terms of enlisting the support of the local area, the young culinary enthusiasts managed to secure backing and contributions from Catshill supermarkets, chefs, butchers, pupils’ families and also public sector workers. As such, the youngsters did not need to pay for any of the ingredients they used for their almost 500 fajitas, which were cooked by both themselves and by members of the community.

Those businesses that demonstrated their support of the contest included chefs Lorenzo Richards and Mark Duncombes of Wildmoor Oak, the latter being the owner of Duncombes family butchers.

In terms of its prize, the school has now been awarded with £250 for the purchase of equipment and ingredients for the educational establishment’s cooking club. Speaking of the success, the school’s cooking co-ordinator, Julie Pask, called it: “A wonderful achievement our school and local community are all thoroughly proud of.”

Posted by Matt on the 3rd August 2011