Health Initiative Gets Kids In The Kitchen

‘Farm to Fork’ sessions taking place in Guernsey this week hope to show children how local ingredients can make nutritious meals.

The Youth Commission’s summer Playscheme are collaborating with the Health Improvement Commission to get around 30 kids in the kitchen this week.

Eat Well Lead Alex Kosmas says the 4-11 year olds have enjoyed exploring the journey that food takes to our plates:

"We've been out to a farm and to the dairy to find out where food comes from. And then we went to the shop to see where the food is and to purchase some. So now they are going to cook those ingredients based on simple recipes that we’ve developed."

He added that this early intervention hopes to prevent unhealthy habits from forming:

"Using food as a coping mechanism is something that we all do. We use food to manage emotions. For example, if you’re stressed at work you might come home and consume foods that make you happier and those foods don’t tend to be healthy ones.

So if children learn and develop relationships with food now, then it’s much more likely that they’ll have a much better relationship with it in the future."

A board showing an activity at Playscheme

He says key communication skills are also being developed. The children have been introduced to new foods and taught descriptive words to help them express their texture and flavour preferences.

Alex says although this is a one-off initiative, it proves collaboration between commissions can be successful:

"The children have really enjoyed going out and the interactive aspect.

It's such a strength to be able to combine the Youth Commission’s know-how of how to engage young people and the Health Improvement's expertise in terms of nutrition."