With a load of fresh herbs and heaps of ambition, a group of Salford schoolchildren are about to cook live in front of a crowd, for the chance to be crowned the city’s very first Mini Masterchef at Food for Champions cooking competition.
On Tuesday 8th July, they’ll step into the spotlight at Buile Hill Park Hall, where they’ll cook live on stage in front of an audience of parents, councillors, and special guests. With just 30 minutes to make their original dish from scratch, it’s set to be a thrilling day of fun and expression in the kitchen.
And while there may be one eventual winner, the real triumph of this competition is the movement behind it: a new generation of children learning to cook, eat well, and love vegetables again.
Cooking lessons that go beyond the curriculum
This competition is the culmination of an ambitious cookery programme delivered across 60 Salford primary schools by Nicholas Godfrey, a professional chef turned food educator. Working with Citywide and Salford City Council, he has been transforming how children see food.
As Development Chef, his weekly lessons bring a “chef’s twist” to food education. He chooses a fresh, seasonal vegetable, for instance peas, and shows children five creative ways to cook it, each dish more exciting and flavour-packed than the last.
“We’re getting kids excited about fresh food again,” Nicholas said. “We don’t just boil veg and tell them it’s good for them. We show them how to turn it into something they actually want to eat.”
In recent lessons, children have transformed peas into minted dips, spicy pakoras, and even desserts with hidden vegetables. They score each version out of ten and, more often than not, the flavours win them over.
“They said they didn’t like veg, until they cooked it themselves”
Nicholas’ philosophy is simple: if children are involved in the cooking, they’ll be more willing to eat the food. But it’s more than just a clever trick to get them eating greens.
“It’s about giving them skills for life,” he explained. “These are things you don’t always get taught at school, but every child should learn. Cooking builds creativity, and independence. even confidence. It’s hands-on learning, and it’s fun.”
He also ensures every recipe is affordable and practical for families at home. “If you can’t get it in Tesco, we don’t cook it. These are real-life meals, using store cupboard ingredients, that kids can go home and make again.”
And they do. Children have been sending in photos of dishes they’ve recreated at home, and schools now host ‘parent and child cook-along’ sessions, with families preparing food together in the school kitchens.
From 60 schools to four finalists
This year’s cookery programme has reached thousands of children, and its finale is shaping up to be something special.
At the start of the year, every participating school was invited to enter the competition. Pupils were given a list of 20 ingredients and asked to choose ten, create a recipe, name their dish, and explain who it would appeal to and why. After multiple rounds of cooking and tasting, four finalists, two from Year four (eight years old) and two from Year five (ten years old), were selected to compete in front of a live audience.
The final, taking place at Buile Hill Park Hall, will be a showcase of everything the pupils have learned. Each young chef will prepare their chosen dish in 30 minutes, while special guests and a panel of judges look on.
“It’s going to be a proper show,” said Nicholas. “There’ll be choirs performing, families in the audience, councillors, people from public health, it’s a big moment for the kids, and they’ve worked so hard for it.”
Getting into cooking at a young age
On the day of the event, the finalists won’t be the only ones showing off their culinary talents. Apprentices from Citywide’s school kitchens, young cooks training on the job while studying at college, will be serving up canapés and sharing their stories.
“It’s about changing the image of school food,” Nicholas explained. “There’s a stigma around school dinners, but we’ve got passionate chefs doing amazing things behind the scenes. This is their moment in the spotlight, too.”
Nicholas is also quietly reworking Salford’s school menus. His influence has introduced hidden-veg sauces, fresh curry bases, and exciting new dishes into lunch halls across the borough.
“We’ve got to work with tight budgets, but that doesn’t mean the food has to be boring,” he says. “We’re using fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and seasonal ingredients. It’s about making small changes that add up.”
What’s in it for the chef?
For Nicholas, who’s worked in fine dining and spent 14 years running a school kitchen for children with Asperger’s, this project is personal.
“I’ve heard so many people say, ‘Kids don’t like veg’ or ‘It’s not worth trying.’ I hate that attitude. We’ve got to show them what food can be. It’s not about preaching nutrition, it’s about having fun, getting creative, and making food exciting again.”
And it’s working. In schools across Salford, pupils are buzzing about what they’ve cooked, swapping recipe cards, and sticking posters of the finalists on walls like they’re celebrities.
Nicholas hopes that seeing the competition covered online, in print, and, hopefully, on the radio or TV, will give the children the recognition they deserve. But more than that, he hopes it’ll encourage other schools and councils to do the same.
“This is just the beginning. If we can do this with a bit of passion, a lot of energy, and not much budget, anyone can.”
Save the date – Food for Champions on Tuesday 8th July
“Manchester has just two Michelin-starred restaurants,” Nicholas said. “But we’ve got so much talent here. Who’s to say the next star chef isn’t already in Year four, peeling peas and adding a squeeze of lime? We want these kids to dream big!”
The Food For Champions cooking competition takes place at Buile Hill Park Hall on Tuesday, 8th July at 10 am. It’s open to invited guests, including family, councillors, and representatives from Salford City Council.
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