award
School Chef Wins at School Food Awards
Bournemouth primary school chef Russ Ball has been recognised by politicians for serving some of the best school food in the UK.
Chef Russ was crowned the winner of the individual category at the All Party Parliamentary Group Excellence in School Food Awards. The prestigious award sees schools across the UK recognised for their excellence, innovation and commitment to feeding kids well.
Pokesdown Community School has been transforming it’s food for a few years now, they turned a cupboard sized space into a small kitchen, proving that size is no limitation to (quite literally) award winning school food.
We supported the school to get up and running and they have now created their own menus and food education offering to fuel the future.
Chef Russ and Sous Chef Matt now feed 370 children, using fresh, whole foods. Ultra processed foods are gone, in favour of championing a ‘from scratch’ approach.
The favourite dish this year? Thai green curry. But don’t be fooled, students still get to enjoy your classic school food staples like pizza, fish cakes, cottage pie, but all made from scratch, with fresh ingredients and packed with veggies.
The awards this year were extremely competitive, and it’s the second year in a row that a Chefs in Schools supported kitchen team have won an award, highlighting the impact that follows when kitchen teams are supported, valued and trained.
If you’re a chef and are inspired by Russ’ story, why not think about becoming a school chef too, you can learn more here.
“It’s such an honour to be recognised at these awards, we’ve worked hard to transform the food and set up our little kitchen but it’s so worthwhile.
“By fostering this kind of food environment directly to the classrooms, eating nutritious food has become the norm. We have seen significant impact in mood and behaviour, stable energy levels during the afternoons and crucially, better concentration.”
Explore Pokesdown’s Food
