February was off to a delayed start in Orford's kitchen due to snow in Suffolk, so we were a bit behind with each group. The menu for the older children was Awesome Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni, served with homemade onion bread and little gem salad. The pupils finished the meal with handmade bakewell tarts. Lots of skills to use in this lesson, including making bread AND pastry, sweating onions, piping filling for the cannelloni and making frangipane. It's a good thing the pupils are kitchen pros!

When the children were asked what they learned from the lesson here is what they said:

Cannelloni tubes are delicate!

Homemade food tastes nicer than bought!

Put the pan on the right hob or you will be there all day!

Have a firm but light touch whilst spreading frangipane. 

An excellent learning experience in the kitchen! 

Crumble is a delicious old-school dessert- evreryone loves it and it's a great way to celebrate the beautiful fruit we grow here in the UK. It's super-simple to make the topping, then you can go for it with pretty much any sort of thing you can think of! This week the pupils at Rotherfield Primary School made their first ever crumble using lovely apples and blackberries with a simple hazlenut topping.

The pupils loved weighing all of the different ingredients, and had some good knife skills practice as they cut down the apple for their crumble. They learned that apples are the most commonly eaten fruit in the UK and that there are over 1,200 different kinds growing in this country alone!

For more images of the cooking and growing at Rotherfield Primary School check out our facebook page !

We thought we would try something different and share updates from Orford's kitchen in their own words! So here's a bit about the Autumn term from Kate.

Over the last couple of weeks the little ones in reception and year 1 have been making Baked Apples and Stuffed Peppers.  We discussed where apples grow and all the different types and flavours.  We then chatted about all the different spices we needed to use and had a good sniff!  The children enjoyed stuffing the spicey mixture into the hole where the core once was in the apple. 

When we made the Stuffed Peppers there were lots of different flavours to talk about - Basil, olives, capers, garlic, tomatoes.  Most were sceptical of the capers but lots seemed to like olives. We wrapped both of these dishes up in tin foil and the children took them home to cook. Parents loved the lovely additions to their dinners! 

Class 2 have been making homemade fish fingers, tartare sauce, potato salad, minted peas and the baked apples!  The have really enjoyed the fish fingers and absolutely loved the process of flour, egg, breadcrumbs.  It was really fun and messy!  We used all kinds of fish like cod, plaice, and even smoked haddock.  We talked about protein in fish, and it being one element from the "balanced plate".   We discussed why protein is important and what other foods contain protein. Whilst making the tartare sauce I gave them all a try of the cornichons and capers and then we all had a taste to see if the sauce needed more lemon. We used potatoes and herbs from our garden for the potato salad, and the baked apples were popular as dessert.

Visit the Kitchen Garden Project Facebook Page to see more pictures from the Kitchen Classroom at Orford!

Our second pilot program is up and cooking! Rotherfield Primary School has begin to deliver classes in their brand new kitchen classroom, and the pupils are loving it!

Pupils in years three, four and five now have 90 minute sessions in the kitchen every other week. The classes are delivered by a group of classroom teachers and teaching assistants, newly trained by the Jamie Team. They began the school year by introducing the Kitchen Garden Project while working together to make an Evolution Tomato Salad. The pupils sat down to eat the salad and sop up the juices with fresh focaccia made by the teachers. More than one of the pupils proudly announced that these were the first tomatoes they had ever eaten.

The second time the children were in the classroom they got down to basics, each making their own cheese and tomato sandwich and working together on a nice and simple fruit platter. They are now in the midst of their third cycle of classes, where they have moved on to baked potatoes with herby mackerel pate and a simple green salad to use the last of their garden's salad greens.

We will be sharing the progress of Rotherfield Primary School throughout the year, so check back soon for more stories from the kitchen or the garden!

Autumn has been busy and a bit wet in Orford! A team of parents, children and local residents helped to keep the garden and polytunnel watered during the summer holidays, so most of the crops were looking brilliant when they got back to school. The only real failure was the Brussels sprouts, which had been completely destroyed by Cabbage White caterpillars. The weeds had grown well too, but the expert gardeners from Year 1 to Year 6 very efficiently cleared the beds to they could see their crops.

The gardening group of pupils was particularly excited one Wednesday in September when they were able to supply most of Kate's shopping list of ingredeints for the cooking groups. They made up their very own 'Veg Box' containing potatoes, carrots, courgette, onions, garlic, plums and herbs. THis is what growing, cooking and eating are all about!

Into October the Orford pupils have been looking at all sorts of seeds and thinking about different ways they are dispersed. They are also saving seeds for next year. They washed the pulp off tomato seeds and dried them carefully, ready to plant for future crops of tomatoes!

The pupils from Orford got a taste of food service this month at The Froize, a local Orford restaurant, where they took part in a fringe event for the Aldeburgh Food Festival. The children helped to take drink orders along with starters and pudding orders. They also cleared tables. They absolutely loved it and somewhere saying they would like to work there when they are older. They all joined in and took real pride in serving.

They have also been busy selling the pasta sauce that they developed back in May for Food Revolution Day. So far they have sold over 156 jars in over 5 different local delis and shops! All of the profits from the sauce and £5 per head at The Froize have gone back into funding ingredients for the kitchen garden project at Orford.

Both are an example of real life skills coming to life through the kitchen garden project and we are incredibly proud of the pupils’ hard work!

Autumn is in full swing in our Kitchen Gardens, bringing with it an abundance of hearty produce. Winter squashes and colourful pumpkins, dark leafy greens like kale and winter spinach, root vegetables like parsnips and beetroot, and the transition from summer berries to apples and pears all are sure signs that it's time to jumper up and get harvesting!

One of our favourite ingredients for this time of year is the humble apple. In honour of National Apple Day last weekend we thought we would share with you some of our favourite facts about this old lunchbox staple.

Apples are one of the most commonly eaten fruits in the UK. There are over 1200 different kinds growing, but sadly it can be hard to find them all as growers tend to concentrate on a select few varieties for sale in supermarkets. Work is being done, however, to bring more of a variety into the shops, so the next time you’re at a supermarket make sure you try a new kind. Or, better still, support your local farmers’ market and see what kinds they have on offer.

Most British apples come from the south-east of England where apple trees are abundant. This time of year many farms will open up to allow families to come apple picking- use the internet to find a pick your own near you!

Apples are delicious with both sweet and savoury flavours: think about a delicious apple crumble or a side of apple sauce with your pork roast. Jamie loves using them in salads: sliced into matchsticks or cut paper thin and tossed with watercress, blue cheese and nuts.Some apples are best eaten raw and others are best for cooking, cider making, or even pickling.Cooking apples are usually larger than eating apples. You don’t eat them raw as they are too sour, and often when you cook with them they need to be sweetened with sugar or honey. They’re used for baking because they hold their shape better.

How do you like to use apples in the kitchen? Share your ideas with us on our Kitchen Garden Project Facebook Page.

Summer came slightly early in Orford with a plentiful bumper crop of strawberries! Pupils harvested them, tasted them, and set about freezing them so that when they return to their kitchen classroom in September they can have a nice reminder of summer.

Did you know that strawberries are the only fruit with their seeds on the outside? And that just 8 deliciously ripe strawberries contain more vitamin C than an orange?

Happy last day of term, everyone! The kitchen garden team hopes that you have wonderful summer holidays full of fresh fruit and summer veg.

Our first ever newsletter is about to hit the inboxes of those that have registered their interest in the project. Check it out here to see what we have been upto and hit subscribe to add your name to our contact list!

On the final day of training the teachers from Rotherfield Primary invited a group of their students to join them at JO headquarters and get a taste of the project that is launching in their school in September. Pupils were chosen from year 2 to year 5, and the teachers worked in groups to test out their teaching skills and our brand new Kitchen Garden recipes. It was a fabulous day, and amazing to see how much the teachers have grown through the training process. By the end of the three hours the pupils had made their very own meal consisting of: Evolution Tomato Salad, homemade Focaccia, Lovely Veggies with Herby Yoghurt Dip, Chicken Goujons, a Fruit Platter and individual apple and blackberry crumbles to take home to their families. One of the best moments was when one of the year five students turned to the teacher and said “These chicken goujons are better than Macdonald’s and Burger King COMBINED”! For more images from the day check out our Facebook Page!

Kate Kilburn has been delivering Jamie Oliver’s Kitchen Garden pilot at Orford Primary School for three years. Her constant energy has made a huge difference to children’s lives giving them a food education that will remain with them for a lifetime. Kate’s dedication means she has spent a lot of her own time selecting recipes, planning lessons, sourcing and buying all the ingredients she needs. Thanks to Kate, when children leave Orford at eleven they can prepare a three-course meal, fillet a fish, skin a chicken and tell you all about seasonality and sustainable food while they do it! As well as these crucial life skills Kate is also boosting the confidence of many children through their achievements in the kitchen and engaging many less academic children in learning. She really is making a difference to the health and well being of our future generation. As a celebration of all her hardwork, our friends, and Olympic sponsors, Samsung, honoured Kate with an opportunity to run the Olympic torch through Suffolk. Kate ran through Wickham Market on Thursday July 5th and described the experience as a one in a lifetime honour. Go Kate!

Our first ever Kitchen Garden Project training course began just after half term for six lucky teachers from Rotherfield Primary School. The goal of the Kitchen Garden Project has always been to make food education accessible for all children, and one of the key elements is creating an environment where existing teachers can be trained to deliver a kitchen and garden curriculum so that the school does not need to hire additional staff. Our Kitchen Garden team has been hard at work designing a training course to get these teachers cooking like Jamie in no time!

In ten days over the course of the summer term, the teachers spent time at Jamie O headquarters perfected their palates, while learning knife skills, nutrition, food safety, seasonality, as well as tips for teaching like Jamie, running a successful kitchen garden project, involving the community and inspiring others to pass it on.  When we left them last week they were bursting with energy and eager to get started on delivering the project. We can’t wait to watch them succeed!

Maddy, one of the year 6 pupils at Orford Primary, interviewed Kate Kilburn, the lead for the Kitchen Garden Project as part of one of her final projects in school. Here is what she learned.

What made you want to be a cook?

When I was 17 I did a diploma in Cordon Blue and catering. This took one and a half years. I never actually cooked as a career, apart from in my local pub. I used to have friends over for big dinners at home when I was about 15. I loved entertaining!!

What's it like teaching the Orford children to cook?

I enjoy teaching the Orford children to cook. It is lovely to see the children become super confident cooks. Some have good knowledge of food and cooking when they are young and I like teaching the children who don't have such good knowledge why it is important to eat well. We eat 3 x a day so there is no point filling yourself with unhealthy food.

Do you think they learn more than just cooking in their lessons with you?

The children learn so many things in the cooking class without realising it. Maths, number bonds, fractions, measuring, estimating, working as a team, getting on with and helping other people, nutrition of food, seasonal produce and where it is grown oh, and learning how to cook using all equipment available.

Did you enjoy cooking when you were a child?

I enjoyed cooking as a child. I liked my mother's cooking and always cooked with our lovely babysitter when she came around.

What's your  favourite thing to cook?

Ooh that's hard: curry, stews and cakes. I am quite an earthy kind of cook, simple dishes that taste great.

What's your favourite thing to eat?

I love Italian- a great homemade pasta full of flavour in a delicious tomato sauce.

Is there anything you can't stand to eat?

I don't like offal, rice pudding, and HATE overcooked veg (3 mins max!) and fresh salmon.

Do you try out the recipes from school on your children?

Yes I do try out the recipes on my children in the main. They usually like them all and they find it quite fun. Will quite often helps me cook them, he enjoys cooking.

Are you excited about carrying the Olympic Torch? What does is mean to you to be asked to carry the torch?

I can't believe I am carrying the Olympic torch!! I am very excited and hope I get asked a lot about where I work so that everyone will know about Orford school.

Food Revolution Day marked the launch of Orford Primary School’s very own food product! Creating a sellable food product has long been an idea as a way to keep the Kitchen Garden Project sustainable for schools around the country, and Orford realised this dream in time for the first ever Food Revolution Day. The pupils worked with the food development team at Tiptree in Essex to create their very own pasta sauce. Spicy Nicey sauce was created from a recipe designed by the pupils, named by the pupils, and jarred using a label designed by the pupils (with a bit of help from our friends at Superfantastic). The sauce was a huge hit! The first batch of 200 jars sold out in one day and left the people from Orford community begging for more. Orford plans to produce a second batch of the sauce over the summer holidays to stock in local restaurants, cafes and pubs, and they are currently thinking about expanding their line to a second product!

It has been a busy week in the teaching kitchen at Orford Primary School. Reception and Year 1 pupils tested Jamie's new Spring Vegetable Frittata recipe. The children snipped spring onions, grated courgette, measured out tablespoons of peas, snipped ham, crumbled feta cheese AND broke the eggs into a bowl on their own! All the ingredients were mixed together and put into a well-greased tin to bake. While waiting the children worked together to do the washing and drying up, for as you mum's know, cleaning the kitchen is half the battle. They also made labels to hang in their kitchens at home with the word protein on one side and drawings on the other of foods that contain protein, just like the eggs in their frittatas. After 30 minutes, the six frittatas were ready to come out of the oven, and the pupils used their maths skills to work out they each could take home ¼ of a Frittata to share with their family, while still having some left to taste in the classroom.

It was a rather frustrating week in the garden last week. It's been so wet that only Class 2 managed to get outside to get their hands dirty. The pupils mounted a slug and snail patrol, as the rain spurs them into life and sets them about the garden devouring seedlings. They are especially attracted to tender shoots, and can cause trouble in a young veg patch. Breaks in the rain are perfect moments for gardeners to set about on the hunt, and the pupils were avid guards, protecting their seedling vegetables. The broad beans are flowering quite well, and the children are hoping for a good crop in only a few weeks-time. Hopefully the weather will dry up, as it's time to really get things moving for the late spring/summer harvest!

Making fresh pasta from scratch filled with ingredients from the garden is the absolute essence of the Kitchen Garden Project. The year six pupils at Orford showed great determination and patience and teamwork with their pasta dough, kneading and chilling and rolling and rerolling. They prepped their filling with fresh ricotta, lemon zest, mint, peas, a squeeze of lemon juice and freshly ground pepper, and set about pinching. The result was a batch of (almost) perfect ravioli that impressed even Mrs. Kilburn. As pasta is only one piece of a healthy plate, the children finished up by prepping a green salad with homemade dressing, and sat down to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Jamie's Kitchen Garden Project is excited to show our support for Food Revolution Day, Jamie's first ever global day of action to inspire, educate, and empower people everywhere to stand up for real food. Thousands of people worldwide will participate on May 19th in events to raise awareness on preventing diet-related diseases, and to arm people with the knowledge and tools to make healthier food choices.

In Orford, members of the local community are turning the day into a true village affair to support the Kitchen Garden Project at Orford Primary School and to celebrate the abundant local food community. The community will hold a specially expanded Orford Market with some exciting fringe events throughout the afternoon. Some ideas being discussed are promotional lunches, smokehouse and bakery tours and cooking classes. For this special market day local food businesses and producers are being invited to join in and promote their food fayre with a market stall. If you are in Suffolk be sure to check it out!

If you would like to get involved check the website to host your own local food event or see what's going on in your community. Also be sure to join the movement online, sharing pictures of your homemade #realfood or home-grown #growrealfood on Twitter and instagram, or upload pictures of your edible garden to our gallery!

The start of spring has been met with lots of action in Orford Primary School's garden. To get ready to plant this year's crop, the children have been busy weeding the herb bed near the kitchen, clearing out the over-wintering plants and pricking out their Brussels sprout, pepper, and tomato seedlings. Pricking out, or "thinning", is when you remove the seedlings from their original container and replant them individually in the ground or pots so that they have more room to stretch their roots and grow.

On top of all this, the children were busy harvesting loads of beautiful salad greens. The year 6 pupils used these greens to make a pretty little-gem salad with homemade dressing made from honey, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and their delicious local rapeseed oil. Even after the salads were made, the children had an extra 150g of salad leaves to sell to members of the community at the local Froise Inn restaurant over the weekend!

Every Thursday, year 2 pupils from Bawdsey Primary School visit the kitchen at Orford to participate as well in Jamie Oliver's Kitchen Garden Project. This week the students tested out Jamie's salmon fishcakes with a side of crispy cubed potatoes topped with rosemary fresh from the garden. They also fixed up a dish of roasted carrots and savoy cabbage, drizzled with leftover dressing made by the year 6 class earlier in the week. After coming back for thirds, a very sophisticated pupil, Harvey, said that he liked the combination of lemon zest and salmon. Good feedback for Jamie!

When it was time for pudding, the students were a bit apprehensive about Jamie's butternut squash muffins. They had never seen squash in a pudding before, and even the mum who helped thought it was really interesting that you didn't need to peel them before adding to the mix. Once out of the oven, though, the children couldn't resist them and all had two each. The overwhelming response was that they "didn't like them, they LOVED them".

Rotherfield Primary School in Islington, north London, has become the second pilot school for Jamie's Kitchen Garden Project! The school had already built a brilliant "edible playground" together with our friends at Trees for Cities, and were keen to connect the garden with a kitchen. Our team was thrilled to join in, and the second Kitchen Garden pilot was born.

The project at Rotherfield is very different from the project in Orford, and our team has been hard at work adjusting the program so it works for different schools. Our first step: creating a space in which to cook. Throughout February, the school, with the help of Urban Myth and Samsung, transformed an old storage building into a lovely, bright kitchen classroom and dining space! Now that they are all kitted out, neither the teachers nor the pupils can wait to get cooking!