The after-school club where kids learn to make their favourite meals thanks to cash from Tesco 

EVERYONE loves Michaela Ryan’s after-school cookery club. 

There’s a great atmosphere and the chance for kids to learn how to make some of their favourite food. 

Michaela is a teacher of food preparation and nutrition at Wellington School, a large mixed secondary school in Timperley, Greater Manchester.

“Bunny chow is very popular,” she says. For the uninitiated, that’s South African street food. 

“It’s basically a curry with mince or different meats and vegetables and chickpeas,” says Michaela. 

“You scoop out a loaf of white bread and fill it. It’s so nice – the kids all love it, and it’s getting more popular all over the country and at festivals.”

Also going down well are Spanish orange cheesecake, nachos with guacamole and salsa, and fruity fromage frais cake.

Since 2017, Wellington School has received three Tesco grants, ranging from £1,500 to £4,000. 

“It’s meant we’ve been able to keep the club free and provide all the ingredients, so anyone who wants to come along can,” says Michaela.

“My friends and I really enjoyed the cooking classes. We got to make dishes that we wouldn’t normally do in Food lessons. My favourite dish was the orange cheesecake, and I also liked making the flatbreads”  – Evie, Year 10

“I want them to be as passionate about it as I am.

“I love that, so often, when they’ve cooked something at home, they’ll send me a photo.

“That’s what I want – that sense of enjoyment.”

Michaela says the children enjoyed hosting an afternoon tea for 100 guests – an ambitious undertaking that involved 30 pupils from Years 9 to 11. 

There have also been lessons on low-budget cooking, using recipes from a Jack Monroe book and food bank ingredients. 

Michaela has been able to buy equipment too, including handheld blenders, electric whisks and oven gloves, and the all-important accessory in any modern kitchen – an air fryer.

She believes cooking is not only a welcome distraction from phones and tablets, but also provides a boost for children’s mental wellbeing.

“They might start off thinking they can’t make a dish – and when they do, it’s brilliant. 

“That sense of achievement builds confidence, and it carries over into other areas of their lives.

“Often I’ll put some music on. Unfortunately for the kids, the 80s was my era, so it’s Guns N’ Roses or AC/DC, maybe a bit of Rick Astley, or Five. I do see some of them dancing though.”

A couple of Year 10 pupils, Adam and Jensen, wouldn’t admit to any dancing, but said they were grateful for everything the club had given them.

“We’ve learned a lot of skills that have really helped us grow our confidence in the kitchen,” said Jensen. 

“It helped us decide to take GCSE food, and we’ve already used a lot of what we learned at the club in our practical lessons.”

Tesco Stronger Starts has awarded over £13million to almost 12,000 community projects, with grant recipients chosen by more than 330 million customer votes using blue tokens in stores across the UK. Applications for Cooking for All grants close on May 30.

A Tesco Cooking for All grant supports children by providing food access and education on nutrition and cooking.

To apply, visit tescostrongerstarts.org.uk/cookingfund