Cornish Pasty makers from across the county are coming together to help kids access regular cooking activities and have already pledged over £15,000 towards the Cornish Pasty Community Fund.
Last year, pasty makers and bakers raised a whopping £14,500 during Cornish Pasty Week for the Cornish Pasty Community Fund, which was donated to a local food redistribution charity. This year the fund will support a new initiative to encourage cookery within Cornish schools.
Anyone making or selling genuine Cornish pasties is invited to participate by agreeing to donate either a specific amount of money from every Cornish pasty sold during Cornish Pasty Week (26th February to 3rd March), or a fixed lump sum of their choice. Every penny raised will go towards the Cornish Pasty Community Fund. The monies raised will help schools across Cornwall and Scilly to provide students with regular cooking activities, by providing funds to buy equipment and ingredients or to run cooking clubs or other fun food initiatives. Professional pasty makers will also host sessions in schools teaching children how to make Cornish pasties.
The initiative is driven by the Cornish Pasty Association, the organisation behind Cornish Pasty Week. Chairman Jason Jobling said: “We are really excited about helping the next generation understand more about food, nutrition, preparation and cooking skills, food production and manufacturing and, of course, what goes into a Cornish pasty and why it’s so special.”
He continued: “The fund is open to all schools in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, whether it’s a primary school that needs funds for ingredients or equipment or a secondary school that might like to take students on a field trip to a commercial bakery to learn how pasties are made, we can help inspire the children of Cornwall to get cooking.”
Applications are now open for schools on the CPA website. There is a simple online form, asking how much money they need and what it will be used for. The Association will select the winning bids against a set of criteria to ensure the initiative makes as much impact as possible.
If you make or sell genuine Cornish pasties and would like to take part, all you need to do is contact the Cornish Pasty Association, who will send more details.
Find out more about the Cornish Pasty Association at www.cornishpastyassociation.co.uk.
