A Recipe for Sustainability

On Monday 19th January, Monday 2nd February and Monday 9th March, Year 6 classes from The Oratory Prep School enjoyed a deliciously educational visit to Leighton Park School, taking part in an engaging Sustainable Food Workshop that explored the links between food, sustainability and hands-on cooking.

The pupils were introduced to key environmental concepts including food miles, carbon footprints and the importance of eating seasonally. Sustainability is a core value at Leighton Park, and the session encouraged the children to think more deeply about how their everyday food choices can impact the planet.

The highlight of the visit came in the specialised Food Technology kitchen, where the pupils rolled up their sleeves to make their own seasonal fruit crumble. Using locally sourced and frozen fruit picked at its peak, they learned how freezing can help reduce food waste while maintaining flavour and nutrition. Alongside this, pupils developed practical kitchen skills, including safely using peelers and knives and learning the ‘Bridge and Claw’ cutting technique.

The workshops were unanimously enjoyed by all the students, with Heidi and Freddie wishing they could have stayed longer. Rex and Kit both rated the experience as ‘fabulous and said: ‘It was amazing!’ Barney summed it up simply: “It was so much fun. I want to do it again.”

Evie was equally enthusiastic, saying: “It was incredible, I loved it and I think you would too! You make a crumble and you get to use a peeler and knife. You will have sooooooo much fun.”

Summer particularly enjoyed “making the actual crumble topping” and said she would tell a friend: “It was awesome! We made crumble and the lunch was amazing! You will definitely have a great time!”

Meanwhile, Stanley’s favourite part involved the theory: “learning how much carbon is released into the atmosphere through the market of certain foods.”

The visit concluded with lunch in Leighton Park School’s restaurant, Oakview, where sustainability and reducing food waste are a major priority. Each child received a seedling to grow their own berries – hopefully continuing their sustainability journey from seed to plate at home over the coming months.

Reflecting on the day, Ben Bentley, Director of Sport and PE at OPS, said he had hoped the pupils would “learn a new skill and expand their knowledge,” and felt the workshop was “very successful” in achieving that aim. Emily Reed, Director of Music at OPS, agreed saying that the students had benefited as they now “have the knowledge to help save energy and be sustainable.”

We really enjoyed hosting classes 6 Beckett, 6 Helena and 6 Paul!

You can read more about Leighton Park’s approach to sustainability here and how we strive to develop the changemakers of the future here.

Visit our online photo gallery for more pictures from the day.