Pupils from Athlone school taking part in cooking and nutrition workshop

Sixty-seven pupils from Dean Kelly National School in Athlone are currently taking part in the Tesco Ireland 'Stronger Starts Cooks' initiative.

The six-week programme is designed to give children hands-on experience with cooking, nutrition, and food education.

Children in 20 primary schools nationwide successfully completed the programme in May and June 2025, and in its first year, almost 3,000 primary school pupils across 42 schools will have participated in the programme.

Dean Kelly National School is currently taking part in the Stronger Starts Cooks programme, which is delivered mainly to 5th class pupils (with flexibility for 4th and 6th).

The six-week experience includes a hands-on cooking workshop and lessons in food science, food safety and healthy eating.

Among the highlights is a visit to a local Tesco store, where students explore the journey of food from farm to shelf, take part in a budgeting challenge, enjoy food sampling sessions, and get to see behind the scenes of a busy shop environment.

Delivered by educational specialists Real Nation, the pilot programme has already received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with Tesco Ireland reporting that the majority (95%) of pupils said they enjoyed the experience.

Rosemary Garth, Tesco Ireland Communications Director said: "We want to play a positive role in championing children’s health in Ireland and believe that helping children to understand more about their food, where it comes from, and how to cook it can really help this.

"Stronger Starts Cooks gives children the opportunity to build practical skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom."

'Stronger Starts Cooks' builds on the success of the 'Stronger Starts Food' programme, launched in 2021, which provides free weekly packs of fruit and veg to children in DEIS schools during school term.