Christ’s College Finchley

Christ’s College Finchley appointed award-winning chef Amber Francis as Head Chef and Food Educator, marking a significant shift towards high-quality, nutritious school food. Amber, previously a restaurant head chef and now winner of Great British Menu, made the move to school food driven by a belief in the power of food to positively shape young lives. The school shared a strong commitment to improving pupils’ health, wellbeing and understanding of sustainable food.

Amber was supported to transition from restaurant kitchens to a school setting through the expert guidance and hands-on mentoring of our chef trainers. This included practical support to adapt restaurant-standard cooking to large-scale service, build confidence within the existing kitchen team, and embed scratch cooking and food education into everyday practice. The approach focused on collaboration, skills development and long-term sustainability rather than short-term change.

Students at Christ’s College are now eating freshly cooked, restaurant-quality meals made from scratch, including dishes like aubergine curry and freshly prepared fish. The kitchen team has grown in confidence and creativity, and food has become a central part of school life and learning. Plans are in place to deepen food education further, including growing produce on site, helping pupils connect what they eat with health, sustainability and enjoyment.