A 10-year-old schoolgirl from Walsall has been crowned the winner of Tesco's Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge, a competition designed to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables.
Winner announced
Khalessi McKay, a pupil at Pinfold Street Primary School, impressed a panel of nutrition and education experts, as well as JLS star JB Gill, with her recipe, 'The Swamp Monster’s Crunchy Eyeball Soup'. The dish features kiwi, blueberries, and cucumber.
“I wanted to make something different from everyone else's, so I came up with Swamp Monster's Crunchy Eyeball Soup,” Khalessi said. “I picked kiwi, blueberries and cucumber because they're some of my favourite fruits and vegetables.”
Recipe to be served nationwide
As the winner, Khalessi’s recipe will be rolled out across more than 1,500 schools nationwide throughout July and will feature on the Tesco Real Food website through Tesco's partnership with Chartwells. “I was really shocked and amazed when I found out I'd won. It was really fun making my recipe with JB Gill, and it's amazing to think that children all over the country will be able to try it,” she added.
School pride
Toni Beech, a teacher at Pinfold Street Primary School, said: “To not only take part in the competition but for one of our own to be named the winner is an incredible achievement and one that our children, staff and wider school community are immensely proud of.”
Research behind the challenge
Tesco's competition was created in response to research showing that only one in ten children in the UK eat their recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables during a typical school day. However, nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of parents say children are more likely to try fruit and veg when food is made fun and visually creative.
Comments from Tesco and Chartwells
Claire De Silva, head of communities at Tesco, said: “We were blown away by the imagination and creativity shown by children across the UK through the Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge. Khalessi’s recipe really stood out for its fun approach to healthy eating and we’re incredibly excited to see it served in schools nationwide. Through our Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme we want to help children build positive relationships with healthy food from an early age, and this competition has shown just how enthusiastic young people can be when given the chance to get creative with fruit and veg.”
Meg Hughes, director of nutrition and sustainability at Chartwells Schools, added: “At Chartwells, we’re passionate about helping children develop positive attitudes towards healthy eating through exciting and engaging food experiences. Khalessi’s winning recipe perfectly demonstrates how creativity can inspire children to try a wider variety of fruit and vegetables. School lunches provide vital nutrition to help pupils achieve their potential. We’re delighted to be bringing this fantastic dish to school menus across the country and celebrating the role that fun, nutritious food can play in supporting children’s health & wellbeing.”
