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Cookery on the Farm

Supported by Sainsbury’s Good Food Grants and Tesco Stronger Starts

At Bonterre, learning about food is a powerful tool for learning, building confidence, and creating healthier futures. Thanks to generous support from Tesco Stronger Starts and Sainsbury’s Good Food Grants Programme, we’ve been able to bring more cookery activities directly into our alternative education programme this year.

With food insecurity affecting millions of children across the UK, the need to equip young people with practical knowledge around healthy eating is more urgent than ever. Many of the students who attend Bonterre have never cooked a meal before, and some arrive with limited understanding of where their food comes from or how to make healthy choices. The decline in Home Economics in schools has left a noticeable gap in essential life skills – one we’re proud to help fill.



Our approach is rooted in experiential learning, giving students hands-on experience in growing, preparing, and cooking nutritious meals. Each day, students take part in preparing a shared group lunch, using fresh ingredients they’ve helped to grow and harvest on the farm.



Younger students explore the basics of nutrition, understanding food groups and the importance of eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Older students build skills that will support independent living – from budgeting and food hygiene, to storing ingredients safely and following simple recipes.


Thanks to grant funding support, we have been able to purchase vital equipment and ingredients to run cookery activities week in, week out. It has also allowed us to launch a new in-house Level 1 cookery course, led by one of our youth workers who is also a trained chef.

This structured course introduces students to key culinary skills, such as knife safety, food preparation methods, and kitchen hygiene, and culminates in a cooking challenge that celebrates everything they’ve learned.


We’re incredibly grateful to the Sainsbury’s Good Food Grants Programme and Tesco Stronger Starts for making this work possible. Their support has helped us turn everyday meals into life-changing learning experiences –  sparking curiosity, building essential skills, and laying the foundations for long-term health and wellbeing.