The celebrity judge

Celebrity judge Ellie Simmons smiling and holding the Sun's Catering Champions Award. From Reach Academy, Feltham

We chatted to Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds to find out how she’s found judging this year’s Catering Team Award…

What did you particularly love about Chef Hugo and his team at Reach Academy Feltham? 

For me, it’s the fact that everyone’s involved here – it feels like a family unit. And not just in the catering team; but in the wider school, too. I was also struck by the family way of eating as well – serving themselves and their friends at the table. That educates children on portion sizes, sharing and tidying away. It’s so much more than food here – it’s part of the culture. The fact that the staff eat the same food as the kids, and there are no packed lunches so all kids are getting treated the same – I think that’s how it should be. 

Was it hard to pick a winner?

So tough, because they all deserved it. Being nominated for an award is just an awesome, incredible thing, because you know that people are supporting you and recognising you – that’s an honour as well.

Do you have a message for Chef Hugo and the team?

You are doing incredible things! We had your food for lunch and it was absolutely delicious. What you’re doing for the whole school and the community is something special, and you should be so, so proud because you deserve this award so much.

This is your second year of being a Good School Food Awards judge – why do you love being involved in them? 

For me, two things. I think it’s really important to educate children – they’re the next generation. But also when I was an athlete, food was fuel, so understanding a balanced diet and how food affects the body really helped. For school kids, food is so important because it’s the fuel for their brains to learn and to grow. It’s so important to honour those people working in schools going above and beyond to help the children have good food. It’s just something I love, it’s incredible. And at a time when the news is full of bad stories, it’s great to celebrate something so positive, humans going above and beyond to help other people.