Lidl GB launches free summer cooking clubs to help children learn about healthy eating during the school holidays

Lidl GB is partnering with OnSide to deliver free Lidl Foodies Summer Clubs in five UK cities during the school summer holidays, reaching an estimated 1,000 children in Bristol, Carlisle, Croydon, Manchester and Wolverhampton.

With new Lidl research of 1,000 UK 8 – 11 years revealing that a third of children (32%) are more open to trying healthy options if they could help prepare nutritious meals, the hands-on cooking club sessions will focus on healthy, quick and easy recipes that kids can then recreate at home.

Building on its £675,000 investment in the Lidl Foodies schools-based programme, the discounter is introducing an additional £100,000 donation specifically for the Summer Club initiative. Now in its second year, the Lidl Foodies scheme is active in over 25% of British primary schools, and has reached 640,000 children to date. The launch also follows the discounter’s recent announcement of its in-store Scavenger Hunt, as the supermarket extends Lidl Foodies out of the classroom, onto the shop floor and into the communities that need it most this summer.

The announcement comes as families nationwide face additional costs during the school holidays, with parents providing more meals at home, making it harder to put nutritious food on the table. The research, which also surveyed parents, uncovered that the majority of parents (86%) feel that the school holidays put pressure on providing healthy meals, with almost one in three parents (29%) saying they have concerns around the price of nutritious meals.

Georgina Hall, Director of Corporate Affairs at Lidl GB, said: “As busy families prepare for six weeks without the school routine, we know that providing healthy meals can feel challenging. Our Lidl Foodies Summer Clubs will give kids hands-on experience in the kitchen while making healthy food prep fun, helping to build their enjoyment of fruit and vegetables. While they might not have all the right answers, our research shows that kids really like learning about food – with more than half saying they’d love to learn how to cook. This summer we hope to give kids the tools to experiment with healthy dishes at our cooking clubs and at home.”

Commenting on the announcement, Jamie Masraff, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OnSide said: “We know that the school holidays can be a challenging time for many families, with the loss of routine and additional financial pressures making it harder to access activities and healthy meals. That’s why partnerships like this are so important. Through our network of Youth Zones, we’re creating opportunities for around 1,000 young people to come together, learn practical cooking skills, build confidence and have fun in a safe, supportive environment. We’re proud to be working with Lidl to help inspire healthier habits while giving young people experiences and skills that can make a lasting difference.”

Children attending the sessions will also each receive a free fruit coupon, redeemable via Lidl Plus. In addition to the summer clubs, the discounter is helping families boost their food budgets this summer with the chance to win £25 Lidl vouchers, so parents can stock up on fresh, affordable food over the holidays via the Lidl Plus app.

The research findings also highlighted some key misunderstandings around healthy food, with one in five (19%) children thinking that strawberry milkshake and tomato ketchup count towards their ‘five a day’. A further one in ten (12%) think that chips are a healthy choice, while a hopeful one in ten (9%) think that ice cream and cake count towards their five-a-day.

Lidl is working with clinical psychologist and author of How To Talk To Children About Food, Dr Anna Colton, to delve into the psychology driving the new findings and provide parents with practical advice on how to encourage healthy eating habits. She commented: “Working with Lidl GB, I want to help ease the strain on parents during mealtimes this summer. When the school routine disappears for six weeks, so does the structure that shapes how children and families eat. For parents, the juggle of work, childcare, shopping, cooking and preparing meals intensifies and these factors combined with that loss of routine can make mealtimes feel harder. 

“The Lidl Foodies Summer Clubs have been designed to help get kids curious about food prep while removing pressure to eat the ‘right’ foods. These are important foundations for building a good relationship with food and it’s this that determines how kids eat throughout their childhood, into adolescence and adulthood.”