Embedding cookery into the primary curriculum

Published 1st September 2025

A recent members-only webinar explored how schools can make hands-on cookery a meaningful and achievable part of the primary curriculum. Led by Maria Dunbar and Alistair Turner from Leiths Education, the session shared early findings from a pilot project now involving 90 state primary schools across the UK.

The pilot was launched to test a new cookery curriculum for key stage 1 and 2, with schools asked to deliver lessons and complete surveys before and after the programme. Initial results show that while teachers value food education highly, it is often taught only once a year. Encouragingly, many of the pilot schools shifted towards delivering weekly sessions when supported with resources, lesson plans and cook-along videos.

Teachers involved reported that pupils thrived on the practical sessions, with many cooking confidently in their own classrooms using minimal equipment. One of the biggest outcomes so far has been the way schools, pupils and families have embraced the recipes, with parents feeding back that children are asking to make them again at home.

The project has also highlighted the barriers teachers face, from costs of ingredients and equipment to confidence in teaching cookery. The Leiths package is designed to tackle these challenges by offering fully tested recipes, scalable shopping lists, interactive resources, and step-by-step skills videos to support delivery.

The full findings of the pilot will be published this autumn, with early feedback pointing towards a positive impact on engagement, confidence and whole-child development.

Members can watch the full webinar to hear Maria and Alistair’s insights, explore practical strategies, and see examples of how schools are making food education work in their classrooms.