Yesterday we popped in to Ashmount Primary School, in Crouch End, with David Annand from the charity Magic Breakfast, to show local school children how to make a super fast and frugal loaf of bread.
 
We ran this fun class during one of Magic Breakfast’s breakfast clubs at the school, to show how easy it is to make a simple loaf of bread at home, to teach the kids about eating a balanced, nutritious diet.
 
Magic Breakfast was set up in 2001 to provide a healthy breakfast to children who arrive at school without breakfast, often too hungry to learn.  It is estimated that 1 in 4 children from lower income homes go without breakfast. The charity works with schools throughout the country to help children have the nutritional fuel that they need to make the most of their education. Ashmount Primary School has been a Magic Breakfast partner school for over a year and the results have been really encouraging.
 
One of our bakers, the lovely Roy, explained to the children how bread is made, showing them how yeast is used, how bread needs to rest once kneaded so that it rises, how to shape it and then bake it in the oven. The kids then had the chance to make their own little loaves so they could enjoy them at home.
 
David Annand, from Magic Breakfast, said: “Having the right nutrition is incredibly important for children when growing up and studying at school. Some of the statistics for school children here in the UK going to school without having had a breakfast is astounding, for example according to a study from the University of Essex a third of school children regularly skip breakfast. The baking class we carried out today was great fun for the children but it also helped them understand how easy it is to make simple nutritional food. We were really pleased that GAIL’s were happy to do this and we value their support.”