Neva, who represented the Devon-based school, secured the victory after young people from across Thinking Schools Academy Trust had the opportunity to showcase their culinary talents.
The School Food Influencer Competition, now in its second year, is more than just a cooking contest. Participants from our secondary schools have the chance to create nutritious dishes which they could see being served in their very own school menu.
After a diverse range of entries from across the trust, three students were shortlisted for the final, following the results of each school’s individual tasting panel.
Along with Neva from Plymouth High School for Girls, Hikmah was selected to represent The Victory Academy, and Jasmine from Goodwin Academy, to make up our final three where Impact Food Group cooked up their entries, before Neva was chosen as the winner.
This year, the students’ brief was to put together a three-item menu would set them up for the busy exam season. This included a breakfast option, a hydrating drink and a quick snack to eat just before an exam.
The students also had to follow Government School Food Guidelines and consider how a school kitchen could prepare and serve the dish within a set budget.
Neva impressed the judges with a crispy rice omelette, a caramelised banana yoghurt bowl and a citrus coconut refresher drink. Speaking about why she chose a rice omelette, she said:
“I wanted to combine eggs with rice and vegetables for fibre to fuel the brain for exam success”.
She also highlighted her refresher drink as something to help concentration in exams, and it ‘pairs well with both dishes’.
Impact Food Group provide catering to many of our schools through their Innovate programme, delivering healthy, nutritious meals to young people every day. Alex Hall, Food Director at Impact Food Group, was full of praise for Neva’s creations.
He was particularly impressed with the rice omelette being ‘fibre-rich’ and said the yoghurt bowl had ‘a great balance of flavours and texture’.
Neva’s reward for securing this victory was a trip to Ground-Up Cookery School in Chudleigh, Devon, accompanied by her friends and the school’s Earth Alliance Ambassadors. The school specialise in cooking through a sustainable approach led by foraging, fermentation and the reduction of food waste.
Neva and her friends spent the morning foraging for ingredients in the local area, before returning to the cookery school to see how they could be used in delicious dishes. In the afternoon, they focused on fermentation and learnt how to make Curtido, a traditional fermented salad from El Salvador.
The competition is facilitated by Thinking Food, who form part of our unique services to schools through Thinking Solutions for Education. They pride themselves on delivering an engaging food experience for young people and ensure we can provide every young person access to fresh, high-quality food in school.
Tracy Styles, Catering Assurance Lead for our South West region, recognised Neva’s creativity and talent in winning the competition, and spoke of the importance of food to young people’s learning.
“Neva’s creations were fantastic and she fought off strong competition to take the crown. The School Food Influencer Competition gives secondary students a platform to influence their menu, providing them with a voice to create something they and their friends would love to eat.
“At Thinking Schools Academy Trust, our catering provision ensures young people get the most out of learning and by having balanced, healthy meals, they’re energised for the school day and beyond”.