Gordon Ramsay catches FSA Cooking Bus
Wednesday 22 June 2005
Top chef Gordon Ramsay is jumping aboard the Food Standards Agency's Cooking Bus to launch Focus on Food Week.
The week-long campaign highlights the need for continued improvement in food education in British schools.
Every year, more than 6,000 children and 800 teachers take part in interactive cooking workshops on the Cooking Bus, which is operated by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, to help them to learn more about food and healthy eating.
This week the Cooking Bus is parking at Clapham Manor Primary School in south London.
‘It's not enough to feed our children well – they have to learn to feed themselves and appreciate quality food!’
Ramsay, a restaurateur and father of four said: 'I'm delighted to help launch this year's Focus on Food Week with the Food Standards Agency.
'Every child should learn how to cook and we need to keep banging on about the basics and not get carried away with the frills.
'It's teaching children the basic cooking skills that both Focus on Food and the Food Standards Agency have been working hard to achieve over the last couple of years on the FSA's Cooking Bus.
'It's not enough to feed our children well – they have to learn to feed themselves and appreciate quality food!'
Gill Fine, Director of Consumer Choice and Dietary Health at the Food Standards Agency said: 'The FSA's Cooking Bus is a great example of how getting children involved with cooking can encourage them to think about food and health.
'For example, understanding the difference simple things such as eating breakfast, drinking water and snacking on fruit can make is a practical way to get children to think about their health now and in the future.'
To mark Focus on Food Week, the Agency has issued five tips to help children eat a healthy balanced diet. They are:
- Tuck into breakfast everyday: start your day off in the best possible way with a healthy breakfast such as: wholemeal toast, fresh fruit with yoghurt, a bowl of cereal or even a fruit smoothie. This will help to keep your energy up till lunchtime.
- Eat five: be super healthy and snack on fruit throughout the day instead of munching on crisps and chocolate. All fruit counts, so why not try fresh, dried or tinned fruit. Try to have five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
- Drink lots of water: instead of reaching for those fizzy, high sugar drinks - have a glass of water instead. We all need at least 6-8 glasses every day to keep us hydrated and in tip top condition.
- Get Active: try to do some exercise every day - whether its a bike ride in the park with friends or family or just dancing to your favourite music for half an hour.
- Get cooking: It's great fun learning how to cook as you get to choose your own ingredients and can impress everyone with your great skills. You never know, you could even end up to be one of Britain's top chefs!
Focus on Food Week
Focus on Food Week ran from 27 June until 1 July 2005 and an estimated 250,000 children took part in campaign activities up and down the country.
Focus on Food Director Anita Cormac said: 'Young people who can cook really appreciate the qualities of good food. Eating a balanced diet improves longer term health and is enjoyable.
'Gordon is the perfect role model for good diet and exercise and it's a great pleasure to welcome him onto the Cooking Bus that has proved so popular with both teachers and children across the country.'