Autumn Highlights...
One step closer to our Cook5 goal and another visit from the BBC!
Every day we are one step closer to our 3-year goal to make Bristol the UK's first 'Cook5 City', where every teenager leaves school able to cook five healthy meals.
This Autumn in Term 1 of the 2025/26 academic year, we've delivered 22 sessions in schools around Bristol, bringing us to 70 sessions in total since we started delivering Cook5 with CRuNCH in February 2025, and giving more than 365 teenagers and their families the skills and confidence to cook healthy, affordable meals from scratch.
We also had a visit from the BBC who ran a feature on our impact so far. Scroll down for the video...
We've run 22 Cook5 with CRuNCH sessions in schools around Bristol
This September and October 85 amazing students have been busy in the kitchen making delicious food! And we have had some quite magical and transformative moments...that feeling of “I did it” coming through loud and clear when students bite into their creations. Cooking teaches them to trust their own abilities, problem-solve rather than panic when something goes wrong, and take responsibility for themselves and others.
82.3% of students feel happier and more positive in themselves
"New friendships" replied a girl at Mangotsfield Secondary School when asked by the BBC Points West presenter, Jules Hyam, what she had gained from the Cook5 with CRuNCH Programme. Proof that cooking is the catalyst for so much more. When young people learn to cook, they’re not just learning about food. They’re discovering independence, confidence and connection. We’ve seen children who were shy, disengaged or disruptive in school light up in the kitchen and take that positivity back into their homes and classrooms. In one case a child, who lives with selective mutism even started talking to teachers for the first time.”
94.1% of students agree their cooking skills have improved
At the end of every 5-week programme we ask for feedback. This term we introduced a new on-line form which is starting to prove that the programme is working! We are so excited that almost all participants feel that their cooking skills have improved, with many continuing to cook at home with their families.
A Visit from the BBC
On October 15th, Jules Hyam from BBC Points West popped in to film us at Mangotsfield Secondary School. The purpose of the visit was to see how Cook5 had developed since our launch which they filmed last February 2025 (see CRuNCH at Worle Community School Academy). We were so proud of our students that day - they cooked up some incredible Chicken Tikka Masala dishes and were absolute naturals on video. Cooking stars in the making!
Why it Matters
If we want healthier, happier generations, we can’t ignore food education. Cooking might not appear on exam papers, but it’s a test of independence and resilience that lasts a lifetime.
At CRuNCH, we’re on a mission to make cooking as valued as any school subject — because knowing how to feed yourself is just as important as knowing how to read or write.