Blogs

As we reach the end of a very busy year for all of us in the food world, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the successes and challenges we’ve faced and our hopes for 2025. 

In Oxfordshire, Oxford City Farm celebrated Cook and Share by cooking two different soups: pumpkin and chestnut and minestrone. They organised two sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening. Participants made a simple soup recipe, something that everyone could get involved with regardless of their cooking experience. 

Miss Maher, Assistant Headteacher and the SNAG (school nutrition action group) at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Darlaston, wanted to revolutionise breaktime snacks. Despite making good progress towards a good food culture, unhealthy options remained popular at breaktimes, with few children bringing in fruit or vegetables. Even worse, the free fruit on offer each day wasn’t being enjoyed and instead languishing at breaktime.

To celebrate both Cook and Share and Diwali, Newbold Verdon Primary School got cooking with their early years pupils. Usually they celebrate by making sweets, but this year Cook and Share’s free toolkit of resources inspired them to give a savoury snack a go.

To celebrate Cook and Share, Sound Primary School in Shetland organised a pizza making activity. Head Cook Alison heard about Cook and Share and knew it was something they had to get involved with. The plan was to tie it in with the Year Five leadership activity, helping them to practise decision making and working together as a team.

On a chilly October afternoon, the gardening club at Barden Primary School are preparing the garden for winter. The club is so popular that there are two groups of pupils who regularly attend to the garden.

A brilliant and in-depth chat with chef Stephen Broadhurst delving into his achievement of Food for Life Served Here silver certification at York St John's university and the positive impacts this has had on their catering operation. 

Kate’s Kitchen is a catering company for events and the workplace. Serving 190 meals on average per day Monday to Friday, they have a strong focus on fresh, seasonal, local and organic produce.

Providing the UK’s only Food for Life Served Here gold certified corporate menu, they are demonstrating their commitment to sourcing and serving food that is better for climate, nature and health.

This month, we were invited to Prague to share our experience of delivering a whole school approach to food in the UK at the SchoolFood4Change annual general assembly. It was excellent to hear more about school food in Europe – what’s going well, the challenges and how we can work together.

Five Medway primary schools have recently achieved their Food for Life Schools Award. This demonstrates their commitment to making changes and putting good practice in place, transforming their food culture with support from staff, pupils and the wider community.  

The Cool Food Pro team have been in schools this month delivering interactive workshops on the real value of food, its impact on the climate, and why it’s important not to waste it! 

Here’s some reasons why we, at the Soil Association, think it’s important to source and highlight locally produced ingredients on your menus.