Mole Creek Primary School – Kitchen Garden Lunch Program
At the end of 2021 the Mole Creek Primary School Association agreed on trialing a proposal put forward by teacher and garden volunteer Jenny Lloyd.
Jenny’s vision of change came from running a kitchen garden program with the kinder and prep students on a weekly basis. The program was loved by the students. They experienced growing, harvesting and preparing food then sitting together to share the food. Jenny could see the benefits of the program and set out to create a kitchen garden experience that involved the whole school.
To make this happen, her idea and ultimate proposal was to completely change the food service at the school. Instead of running their traditional canteen they would offer the Kitchen Garden Lunch Program, preparing the food from scratch, utilising the extensive produce grown in the school garden and Mole Creek community gardens.
At the beginning of each term the grade 4, 5, and 6’s come up with ideas for the menu. Then the whole school is surveyed resulting in a final menu. The menu is kept small with 3 or 4 options.
Currently the menu is prepared by Jenny and her wonderful parent volunteers, but as the program moves forward, they hope to include the senior students to help prepare the food.
The students and staff have embraced the change, and from the school’s 55 students, over 30 students order lunch each week.
Well done to Mole Creek Primary School and their community for being open to change, taking on Jenny’s proposal and supporting the new program. The children can now access delicious food made from scratch, with a connection to the produce grown at the school.
Making the changes has also resulted in their food service obtaining a Platinum SmartFood Award! Fantastic news!
Check Out Previous Feature Schools
East Launceston Primary School – a Feature School in 2021: Reaching Platinum!
Below are 2 short videos from 2018 showcasing some school canteen success stories.
Moonah Primary School
Ogilvie High School