As part of the ‘Strike a Balance’ initiative Vermilion’s highly-acclaimed chef, Chatchai Jamjang, went into the classroom earlier this month with staff from CITC to give children lessons in healthy food.
Alongside CITC coaches he showed the children of St Bridgid’s RC Primary School in Beswick how to prepare balanced, healthy meals and the youngsters also got the chance to join in the cookery master classes.
Coaches from CITC got stuck in during the special lesson and the Year 5 youngsters were all presented with special Blue MCFC aprons to wear during the class.
MCFC and its near neighbour Vermilion, on Hulme Hall Lane, now plan to take the idea of cookery demonstrations out to other schools in their community.
Lisa Kimpton, CITC’s Healthy Schools Project Manager, said:
”As part of Strike a Balance we normally get the young people to help prepare a pasta dish.
“Working with the chef from Vermilion helped us to introduce a new and healthy food to the young people and hopefully helped them understand that eating healthy food can be exciting and tasty.”
Manzur Ahmed, Managing Director of Vermilion, said: “We are very excited to be working with Manchester City on a project that can make a real difference to young people in the community.
“Our team really enjoyed going into the classroom and working with the children to show them how good, healthy food can easily be prepared and they put together some really interesting dishes that the children helped to make.”
Since CITC launched the Strike a Balance project in February 2011, 72 primary schools in Manchester have taken part in the scheme.
It is aimed at young people in year 5, and is a partnership between CITC and Manchester Healthy Schools that offers primary schools the chance to take part in a free five week programme.
Using examples of Premier League footballers such as Joe Hart and Gareth Barry, each session covers a different area of healthy eating and is followed by a football session. Topics covered include the balance of good health, the importance of physical activity and cooking healthy, balanced meals.
For more information on Strike a Balance please contact 0161 438 7711 or e-mail lisa.kimpton@mcfc.co.uk.
