St James CE Primary pupils taking part in Kidz 2 Cookz project

Children at St James CE Primary School in Farnworth have in just three sessions have rustled up a chilli con carne, a spaghetti Bolognese, pizza to using only ingredients from the kitchen cupboard to cook up a curry.

Kidz 2 Cookz is designed to help the personal development of children ­— everything from healthy eating to enjoying the social aspect of cooking and eating together.

And given its success so far, it is a resource, which hopefully, more schools will be able to draw on in the future.

It will culminate in children cooking for their families at a special celebration afternoon.

The young masterchef classes are held at New Bury UCAN Centre, and children cannot wait for their next session.

Jed Leck, UCAN project officer, said: "Currently we have St James CE Primary School pupils and hopefully will can get other schools in.

"It has been very successful so far. The emphasis is on nutritious food and healthy living.

"The feedback we have had has been so positive."

Jed said the sessions help to raise confidence among youngsters and even encourage them to help their parents out in the kitchen.

And already children are moving away from convenience ingredients to create their own delicious dishes.

Jed, who has worked in Michelin-star restaurants, explained: "We asked the children if they wanted tomato sauce in a jar for the spagbol or whether they wanted to create their own and they wanted to make their own!"

He added: "The children have asked lots of questions and  have been really engaged in the sessions."

Onward Homes funded the project and Bolton at Home has helped support New Bury Vision group to deliver the project.