Primary school pupils get cooking with LMC demonstrations

PRIMARY school pupils across Northern Ireland (NI) swapped textbooks for tasty culinary treats as they took part in interactive cookery demonstrations led by the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC).

Over 2,300 pupils from more than 95 different schools availed of the opportunity to learn more about red meat and its importance as part of a healthy balanced diet. At each event LMC demonstrators spoke about how NI farmers work to produce the highest quality beef and lamb while caring for the environment around us.

Reflecting on the success of this year’s primary school cookery demonstrations LMC education and consumer promotions manager, Sarah Toland said, “In Spring 2022 LMC officially launched its primary schools education programme and in this its second year we have enjoyed increased interest from teachers.”

The Commission’s primary school cookery demonstrations take place during the summer term and provide pupils in P5, P6 and P7 with a unique educational experience. Teachers have shared positive feedback, with many noting that they would recommend LMC demonstrations to their teaching colleagues.

David Kearney, principal of Derrygonnelly Primary School, Co Fermanagh said, “This is the second year we have had the cookery demonstration and would highly recommend it to any school. We are a family centred school, with a strong focus on building skills for life – this has certainly sparked a curiosity amongst our pupils to get cooking at home with their families.”

Cameron Martin, P5 teacher at Mountnorris Primary School, Co Armagh added, “The children in my class loved being part of the LMC demonstration, learning about where meat comes from and the benefits of eating red meat as part of a balanced diet. I would highly recommend the LMC education programme to other schools.”

Demonstrations were most commonly attended by P6 pupils, with schools in Antrim and Down accounting for the majority of bookings.

“Each demonstration is carefully tailored to suit the learning outcomes of the class in attendance,” Sarah confirmed, adding, “At Key Stage 2 some of the common topics covered by LMC demonstrators are the world around us and health and wellbeing.”

Looking forward, with planning underway for the next academic year, Sarah concluded, “Expanding our education programme to offer primary school cookery demonstrations was a natural progression for LMC and our aim to support teachers and pupils in NI. We are delighted with how the programme has been received to date and hope to build further on its success in the next academic year.”