- Bryn Awel Primary holds weekly cooking workshops to give pupils fun, hands-on experiences with food that builds life skills, confidence and positive healthy habits.
- The sessions are supported by the Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme, which will double in size from September 2026 to reach over 1,000 schools across the UK.
- Workshops like this show why Tesco is encouraging more schools to get creative and enter their own recipes into the Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge.
Pupils at Bryn Awel Primary School in Caerphilly are discovering their creative side with weekly cooking workshops that put children at the heart of preparing and exploring healthy food.
The classes form part of the Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme, in which Bryn Awel has participated since October 2024. Delivered in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation and Groundwork UK, the programme provides funding for schools to purchase fruit and veg, helping increase children’s access to healthy food throughout the school day.
From September 2026, the Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme will double in size, expanding from 500 to over 1,000 schools and supporting more than 388,000 children across the UK, helping even more pupils build confidence, curiosity and creativity with fruit and vegetables.
At Bryn Awel, pupils are actively involved in every stage of the cooking process from choosing ingredients, preparing simple recipes and creating dishes of their own. From fruit kebabs and salads to soups and wraps, the workshops encourage children to experiment, helping them build confidence and a more positive relationship with healthy food.
Anna Jones, Reception and Year One teacher at Bryn Awel Primary School, said: “Our weekly cooking workshops are something the children really look forward to. When children are involved from the start and feel proud of what they’ve made, they’re much more willing to try new foods.
“The programme has allowed us to build these sessions into our routine, even at a time when school budgets are under pressure. Having that support means we can keep giving pupils these positive, hands‑on experiences with fruit and vegetables.”
The programme comes as new research from Tesco finds only one in ten UK children eat their recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables on a typical school day, with more than a third (37.5%) of parents saying their child refuses fruit and veg altogether.
But the findings also show what does work when it comes to getting five a day into kids, with nearly three-quarters (73%) of parents and carers say making food fun or visually creative encourages children to try more.
The benefits extend beyond food education, and teachers have seen pupils develop skills across the curriculum, including literacy, numeracy and IT skills. Anna added: “The children practise reading when they follow recipes and safety instructions and using their numeracy skills when they are weighing and counting ingredients. We even create videos of our cooking, and the kids have such a great time adding voiceovers, which builds their confidence and IT skills too.”
That link between creativity, cooking and healthier eating is why Tesco is encouraging more schools to take part in the Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge, inviting pupils to get creative in the kitchen and submit their own fruit and veg recipes. By making healthy eating practical, enjoyable and child‑led, the challenge aims to help embed positive habits that last beyond the classroom.
Parents have also noticed the difference impact at home. Cath Francis, a parent who helps with the workshops, said the sense of excitement around healthy food has been one of the biggest changes: “The children get so excited for fruit and vegetables, which wasn’t some something that was this common before. Because they have so much fun in the workshops, they feel proud of what they’ve made. My little one will even ask for lettuce and peppers at home so they can make what they made in school.”
For pupils, the workshops have quickly become a highlight of the school week. Year One pupils Cody, Freya, Mylah, Navara and Regan shared some of their favourite things they have made so far, including fruit kebabs, pumpkin soup, fruit salads, ham salad wraps and dishes featuring strawberries. Learning how to prepare new foods and recreating recipes they’ve seen online were also among their favourite parts of the sessions.
To learn more about the Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools programme, and how to enter the Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge, visit: www.tescoplc.com/fruitandvegchallenge
Research Methodology
Research conducted by Censuswide, among a sample 1,000 parents (aged 20+) of primary aged children (ages 5-11) and 1000 Primary aged children (ages 5-11) in the UK. The data was collected between 27.03.2026 – 30.03.2026. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.
About Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools
Tesco’s Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme currently provides funding to over 500 schools across the UK with higher‑than‑average free school meal eligibility to provide pupils with fruit and vegetables during the school day. The programme is designed to help children try a wider variety of fruit and veg, build confidence with healthy food, and support positive eating habits in a familiar school environment. Since launching in 2024, the programme has expanded year on year and is delivered in partnership with expert organisations including the British Nutrition Foundation and Groundwork UK. As part of Tesco’s wider commitment to children’s health, Tesco has an ambition to help up to one million school children across the UK with access to free fruit and vegetables for free through its school and community programmes.
Free Fruit & Veg for Schools
- Tesco’s ambition is to help one million school children across the UK access free fruit and vegetables through Tesco school and community programmes by July 2029
- Tesco is providing funding to schools to buy fruit and veg through its Free Fruit & Veg for Schools and Fruit & Veg Grants programmes.
- Customers will also have the chance to get involved by voting in store to award new Fruit & Veg Grants to schools and kids groups across the UK through the blue token scheme
- Tesco is bringing back Free Fruit for Kids in Store for 5 weeks from 27th April and during school holidays.
- In addition, between 27th April and 24th May 2026, Tesco will donate one penny per fresh fruit, vegetable and salad product sold in UK Tesco stores and on Tesco.com up to a maximum donation of £2.7 million. This excludes prepared, dried, frozen or tinned fruit.
- Since launching in 2024 in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation, Tesco’s Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme has already reached more than 188,000 children across the UK, with pupils consuming over 15 million portions of fruit and vegetables in its first year.
- This year’s expansion will support over 388,000 children across the UK, helping more pupils develop healthier eating habits through regular access to fruit and vegetables.
- For more information visit: tescoplc.com/Schools
Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge
The Prize
- JLS’ JB Gill will go to the winning child’s school to cook their winning recipe
- The winning dish is served in school canteens nationwide (over 1,500!) for one day
- The winning recipe is featured on the Tesco Real Food website and given to all schools on Tesco’s Fruit & Veg programme to cook along to
- A set of Fruit and Veg plushies
- A personalised junior chef kit (apron, tools, cookbook featuring your recipe)
- A Merlin Attractions annual pass for the winning child and their family (up to eight member passes in total)
How to Enter
Taking part in the Tesco Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge is easy and fun. Children are invited to create their own fruit and veg-packed dish by following five simple steps:
- Pick your star ingredients: choose your favourite fruit and vegetables. Sweet, colourful, crunchy – anything goes
- Get creative: design a dish that’s fun to eat and fun to look at. The more imaginative, the better
- Keep it yummy: think about flavour and make sure your recipe is something others would enjoy
- Give it a fun name: the more creative, the better
- Share your idea: write it down, draw it, or do both
To enter, parents or guardians can complete the online entry form and upload the child’s recipe. Entries can include a written recipe, a drawing, or both, along with an optional photo of the finished creation.
Supporting worksheets to help children develop their ideas are available to download, along with support on how to enter can be found at
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