Primary school pupils across Northern Ireland (NI) swapped textbooks for culinary treats as they took part in interactive cookery demonstrations led by the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC).
More than 2,300 pupils from over 95 schools attended demonstrations organised by LMC, in which the pupils learned about red meat and its importance as part of a healthy balanced diet. LMC demonstrators spoke about how NI farmers work to produce the highest quality beef and lamb while caring for the environment around us.
Reflecting on this year's primary school cookery demonstrations, LMC education and consumer promotions manager, Sarah Toland, said: "In spring 2022 LMC officially launched its primary schools education programme and in its second year we have enjoyed increased interest from teachers."
The Commission's primary school cookery demonstrations take place during the summer term and provide pupils in P5, P6 and P7 with a unique educational experience. Teachers have shared positive feedback, with many noting that they would recommend LMC demonstrations to their teaching colleagues.
David Kearney, principal of Derrygonnelly Primary School, Co Fermanagh, said: "This is the second year we have had the cookery demonstration and would highly recommend it to any school. We are a family centred school, with a strong focus on building skills for life - this has certainly sparked a curiosity amongst our pupils to get cooking at home with their families."
Demonstrations were most commonly attended by P6 pupils, with schools in Antrim and Down accounting for the majority of bookings.
"Each demonstration is carefully tailored to suit the learning outcomes of the class in attendance," Toland continued, adding: "At Key Stage 2 some of the common topics covered by LMC demonstrators are the world around us and health and wellbeing."
Looking forward, with planning underway for the next academic year, Toland concluded: "Expanding our education programme to offer primary school cookery demonstrations was a natural progression for LMC and our aim to support teachers and pupils in NI. We are delighted with how the programme has been received to date and hope to build further on its success in the next academic year."
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
