As compulsory food technology lessons have been phased out of the compulsory curriculum, more and more teenagers leave school unable to cook a simple meal.

To encourage children to learn these basic skills, Leon Restaurants have set up the Cook5 campaign to challenge school-aged children to cook five simple savoury meals and share their experiences on the website.


I personally feel the Cook5 campaign is a wonderful idea. Children who learn to cook at home develop skills which will serve them well in later life and in addition develop a better relationship with food and nutritional choices.

Successful participants will be awarded with a certificate and free eBook for their commitment, and will also be entered into competitions to win cash prizes and cookery facilities for their school.

The campaign suggests 15 fairly simple recipes, categorised by age groups. For those aged eight and under, there is "perfect scrambled eggs" and herby chicken salad. Older participants might like to try lentil soup or homemade sushi.

Any savoury dish can be entered for one of the five meals to be cooked, even those which are considered "failures", and participants are encouraged to post photographs of their creations to share on social media sites Twitter and Facebook to receive votes which will help their chances of winning a cash prize.

Check out the Cook5 campaign website for more details or to register your child to take part - you may even find a new favourite family recipe!