Cliff Lane's Project

Cliff Lane not only focused on the eating habits of the students but also of the parents. They used part of their money to provide the whole school, including parents, a taster session of both current and potential new dishes. One of the main challenges faced is that children are not given the opportunity to try new foods, therefore they are not willing to try school dinners. The aim of the taster session was to encourage both children and their parents to select a school dinner instead of a packed lunch. 

They held an afternoon, where children across the school tasted food from the menu and tried new potential dishes which ran from 1-3pm with the parents having a session from 3-3:30pm. This exposed children to new foods and  gave parents a better understanding of the quality and quantity of food that their child is consuming. 

Cliff Lane found this to be important as they want to increase the uptake of school dinners. By providing children with a taste test opportunity, they are not only being exposed to new foods, but they would also be more likely to choose a school dinner if they know they like it.

You can hear from the students leading the project themselves:

After the taste test the food that received the most praise were the desserts with hidden vegetables in them which were beetroot brownies,apple crumble and banana bread. You can find some of these recipes in the ASSET recipe book.

You can also hear one of the Cliff Lane Planetarians reflecting on their project here: