Over the first three months of the year, our kitchen was buzzing every week as twenty pupils from Castlebrae Community Campus joined us for a ten-week cookery programme. Split into two elective groups, ten S1 pupils and ten S2 pupils spent their Fridays learning far more than just how to follow a recipe. By the end of the programme, they had planned, prepared and served meals to members of their local community, putting weeks of learning into practice. The S1 group worked towards cooking and serving a community lunch at The Venchie, while the S2 group took on the challenge of running our food truck. On a sunny Friday in March, they served more than 70 homemade lunches from outside Castlebrae Community Campus, feeding pupils, staff, local residents and passers-by from Niddrie High Street.
Our chefs and volunteers loved this project just as much as the kids!
Over ten weeks, the pupils learned about food hygiene, allergens, nutrition, food science and kitchen safety. They also discovered everything that happens behind the scenes of feeding large groups of people: menu planning, portioning, presentation, customer service, marketing, logistics and packing an entire mobile kitchen before heading out on the road.
The menus reflected just how adventurous the young chefs became. Across the programme they made tattie scones, root vegetable rösti, homemade soda bread, hand-pulled noodles, kimchi, fresh pasta, gnocchi and wild garlic pesto. They steamed and tempura-fried mussels, filleted red mullet for Thai fish cakes, baked shortcrust pastry from scratch and experimented with ingredients that many of them had never tried before, including globe artichokes, kohlrabi and wild garlic.
There were plenty of sweet successes too, including raspberry chocolate caramel cheesecake, sticky toffee cake and one of the programme’s most surprising favourites: a rich chocolate orange cake packed with sweet potato and aubergine. Our chef Sadhbh loves to sneak veggies into her cake recipes and although the kids rolled their eyes at the idea, it proved that vegetables can find their way into desserts and make them even more delicious!
Throughout the programme, pupils also developed confidence in tasting unfamiliar ingredients and thinking creatively about food. They learned how to balance flavours, decorate dishes professionally and write clear menus with allergen information — essential skills for anyone working in hospitality.
Plenty of chatting and eating at The Venchie!
The final community meals brought everything together. At The Venchie, the S1 group served around 30 guestshomemade steak bakes, vegetarian cheese and vegetable pasties, fresh fruit platters and their now-famous chocolate orange cake. Meanwhile, the S2 group transformed our food truck, serving more than 70 people from outside Castlebrae. Watching customers queue up for food they had prepared themselves was a proud moment for everyone involved.
The day itself couldn’t have been more fitting: bright sunshine, gusty winds and plenty of laughter. The young people kept each other’s spirits high with jokes and banter, even when the afternoon session got off to a slightly chaotic start. When we arrived at the school with the S2 group, we realised no one had brought the key to the food truck. Cue a frantic cycle back to collect it! It was one of those classic hospitality moments where everyone had to think on their feet, solve the problem as it emerged and keep calm under pressure. Somehow, we still managed to open right on time. As service got underway, any early nerves quickly disappeared. Some of the young people really came into their own behind the counter, confidently serving customers and proudly talking about the dishes they had helped create. Seeing them get excited as people queued up for their food and complimented their cooking was one of the highlights of the entire programme.
Programmes like this show just how much can happen when young people are given the time and space to be creative. Over ten weeks, they built practical cooking skills, grew in confidence, discovered new foods and experienced what it’s like to feed a community. And if the empty trays at the end of both events were anything to go by, they did a brilliant job.
Programmes like this are only possible thanks to the support of our community, funders and partners. Every week, we see young people grow in confidence, discover new foods and develop skills that will stay with them for life—all through the power of cooking together.
If you’d like to help us create more opportunities like this, you can support Edinburgh Food Social by donating, volunteering or partnering with us. Together, we can continue giving young people the confidence, skills and inspiration to cook, eat well and strengthen their communities.
Find out more about supporting our work by getting in touch or make a donation today.
