Welcome to CRuNCH

Welcome to CRuNCH, we're a game-changing charity dedicated to creating healthier, happier futures for young people.

 

Our mission is to empower our amazing young people with the skills and knowledge they need for better physical and mental wellbeing; the basic foundations for a good life, so they can grow up to participate in society as healthier, happier adults.

Our first initiative is #Cook5 with CRuNCH, which inspires and enables teenagers to cook 5 healthy meals from scratch before they leave home - more about this HERE

Why CRuNCH?

…because it’s CRuNCH time.

50% of 10-11 year-olds are predicted to be either overweight or obese by 2050.

In 1950 this figure was just 1%. 

In 2022 to 2023, 64.0% of adults aged 18 years and over in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity.

We are facing a calamitous public health issue.
It extends far beyond the individual and into the whole of society and the future economic success of the UK.

It’s CRuNCH time…”

57% of the UK diet comes from ultra-processed foods

We are losing our cooking skills

We’re becoming more and more sedendary

Poor nourishment is a risk factor for ...

Obesity

38% of 10-11 year olds are either overweight or suffering from obesity.(1)

Poor Mental Health

In 2023 34% of 18–24 year olds reported symptoms of ‘common mental disorders’ (eg anxiety and/or depression). Research has shown that a good diet can have a positive impact on our mood, improve our ability to concentrate, and lead to better sleep amongst many other positive outcomes.(2)

* sources: (1) The House of Commons Library. (2) Mind, (3) Diabetes UK, (4) Macmillan Cancer Support, (5) British Heart Foundation

Type 2 Diabetes

Diagnoses of type 2 diabetes have doubled since 2009, with now 3.7 million people in the UK suffering from the disease.  2016/17 to 22/23 saw a 40% increase in the number of under 40 yr olds with type 2 diabetes. Key risk factors are obesity and high blood pressure. (3)

Cancer & Heart Disease

Obesity increases the risk of 13 different types of cancers. Macmillan Cancer Support estimates that the number of people living with cancer in the UK will rise from the current 3 million to 5.3 million by 2040(4)

Likewise, heart disease is increasing in young people with the increase in ultra-processed foods, and decreasing physical activity,  contributing to the rise. (5)

CRuNCH Initiatives

Cook 5 with CRuNCH

Revolutionising the health of the next generation, Cook 5 with CRuNCH is a ground-breaking (and fun!) initiative born out of many years of experience delivering healthy eating and cookery programmes in schools and local communities across the UK.

The brain child of our founder, author, fitness food writer and children’s healthy eating campaigner Kate Percy, Cook 5 with CRuNCH enables and inspires young people to cook 5 simple, nourishing recipes before they leave home as well as gain a basic understanding of how to eat for better physical and mental wellbeing.

Young people not only start out on a cooking journey that will last a lifetime, they learn to connect with food so they can make healthier choices, they grow in self-confidence and they develop leadership skills.

All fantastic skills to set them up for life…

This initiative is primarily designed for 11-14 year olds (KS3), but can be delivered to older and younger age groups. 

 

Find out more about our pilot by clicking below…


 

COOK 5 pilot at Merchant's Academy

Here is N'gu tasting her cooking for the first time :)

COOK 5 with CRuNCH in the South West!

We aim to start with Bristol and then roll-out into the rest of the UK, starting with the South West of England.

Can you help us make Bristol the first #Cook5 City?

We’ve successfully piloted #Cook5 in Merchant’s Academy, a school in Withywood, Bristol, and are ready to roll out to more schools, guides, scouts and community hubs.

“I am over the moon that we have had the opportunity to work with Kate piloting her Cook 5 with Kate Percy initiative, Kate’s positivity and energy are infectious and our young people have loved learning to cook family recipes from scratch with her

Equipping our young people with basic skills to enable them to lead healthy and happy lives has never been more of a priority and one that we are equally passionate about at Merchants Academy. More of the same please Kate!”

Sam Williamson, Principal of Merchant’s Academy, Withywood, Bristol

The Power of 5!

“The secret weapon is to keep it real and achievable.

And fun!

Five simple recipes, five key cooking skills, five nutrition tips, embedding five physical activities into your week.

There’s real power in the number 5!”

 

Kate Percy, founder of CRuNCH

 

5 x HEALTHY MEALS

Students choose from our selection of 50 simple, healthy recipes, which cater for different cultures and diets.

5 x COOKING SKILLS

Students learn 5 key skills which will stick with them for life. These include knife skills and how to chop and slice an onion, food safety and hygiene, boiling steaming and sautéing.

5 X NUTRITION THEMES

Students learn 5 key aspects of a balanced diet – carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals and hydration – helps students understand how food works.

5 x PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

Students  incorporate 5 activities into their week; from walking or cycling to school, a 15 minute morning run or a full game of football, it all adds up….

 These 5 x skills build a bank of knowledge which build confidence in the kitchen
and set a solid foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating and active lifestyle.

Recipes, Resources and Lesson Plans 

For Schools

For Parents

For Communities

Cross-curricular resources also coming soon:

– Cook 5 for Sport – learn to cook 5 meals to fuel your sport correctly

– Cook 5 in Spanish – learn to cook 5 tapas in Spanish

– Cook 5 with French – learn to cook 5 French classics

– Cook 5 with German – learn to cook 5 German specialities

– Cook 5 with History – step back in time with 5 meals from the past

Meet our founder, Kate Percy, author, fitness food writer and children’s healthy eating campaigner

“Food has always taken centre stage in my life. I recall my Mum giving an 8 year-old me her kitchen and recipe for Maryland chicken. The family loved the chicken much more than the mess I made! I’ve been cooking every since.”

It all started with a passion for food!

When mum of three, Kate Percy, experienced how making better food choices completely revolutionised how she and her family felt, Kate embarked on a mission to help others discover that magic link between what you eat, and your mental and physical wellbeing. It’s what Kate calls #Enerjoy! Great Taste, Nourishment and Better Outcomes.

Kate’s #Enerjoy! philosophy began with her first book, Go Faster Food (Penguin 2009), after changing the family’s diet to help her husband train for the New York marathon. Now a multiple marathon runner herself, Sunday Times Maserati game-changing entrepreneur, fitness food expert for health & wellbeing magazines like 220 Triathlon and Women’s Running, Kate has developed healthy eating programmes for the BBC, Virgin Sport and United Learning Academy Group. Her latest best-selling book, Go Faster Food for your Active Family, translates good nutrition into practical, delicious recipes for busy families.

Kate’s is passionate about inspiring and enabling children to cook at least 5 healthy meals from scratch and understand the link between good food, physical and mental wellbeing

 

 

Check out @katepercys on social media or visit www.katepercys.com for more information

“Food is so much more than ‘healthy’ or ‘nutrition’, however. It’s the stuff of life, it’s about enjoyment, it unites. 

Cooking together, sitting down ‘breaking bread’, discussing the day, your feelings, arguing your point…there’s nothing better!”

Kate Percy, Founder of CRuNCH

 Our Trustees

If you are interested in supporting us by becoming a Trustee, please do email us -  hello@crunchtime.org.uk

 John Thompson

John, our Chair of Trustees, has worked globally as Chief Technical Officer for some of the largest operators in the telecoms sector, including Vodafone, where he was responsible for designing and running networks in over 15 countries across Europe. More recently, he has worked as an advisor to Management Consultants Bain & Co. 

Rayne Roberts

With an MSc in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health, Rayne is a huge advocate for teaching children how to cook. Her expertise is in making evidence-based nutrition accessible and easy to put into practice and her bespoke nutrition education and cookery-based programmes have been used by sports clubs (including Bath Rugby) and schools across the UK.  

Chris Girling

A Mental Health Nurse at the University of Bristol Student Mental Health Clinic, Chris is passionate about food and improving children's wellbeing.

Gallery

A few pics from our pilot intitiatives...

It's not just about the money! There are lots of ways to get involved with CRuNCH, from volunteering, advocacy and helping spread the wotd.. 

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Contact us

E-mail: hello@crunchtime.org.uk

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