FIRST it was Jamie Oliver who went on a mission to improve the nutrition of school meals.

Now, health chiefs in south Essex are hiring a professional chef to go into schools to teach pupils how to rustle up a healthy dinner.

Pupils from ten schools across Basildon and Thurrock will learn the basics of cooking over a six-week period.

The Chef in Schools project, the first of its kind in south Essex, is being piloted by the Healthy Schools and Change4Life teams at NHS South West Essex Community Services.

NHS South West Essex is in the process of recruiting a professional chef for the post, which will begin in November on a salary of up to £33,500.

Tanya Amstein, senior healthy schools advisor from NHS South West Essex, said: “The chef will teach children and their parents essential cooking skills.

“This will help them develop a better relationship with food and increase their confidence to make their own food at home. This is a great way to address the current obesity epidemic.”

Figures show south Essex mirrors the nationwide childhood obesity rate, with around 25 per cent of children deemed to be overweight or obese.

Laura Gandon, team leader for Change4Life, added: “It’s important to do something about this now before it becomes an epidemic.

“This Chef in Schools scheme is a very exciting project as we are the first area to run a project like this through the NHS.

“Parents will also be invited into the school to cook with their children. We think this will make it more fun.

“We’re not talking about complicated meals here, just basic, healthy meals and snacks that every child should know how to make.

“We know from research if children are involved in making their meals they are more likely to eat them and to want to eat healthily.

“Key elements of the programme are about healthy eating with children, while promoting a fun environment for spending quality time with family.

“We hope families will learn some tasty recipes and have fun cooking together.”

The scheme may seem odd to older generations who would have automatically been taught how to cook in home economic classes.

Laura added: “Cooking skills were once part of school life. Everyone would have known how to cook.

“But for whatever reason these skills have fallen by the wayside.

“The good thing is though everyone is starting to realise that’s a bad thing, so schemes like this are vital in getting children interested in cooking once again.”

Schools selected to take part are ones which are close to getting their Health Schools accreditation.

In Basildon, these include Phoenix, Brisoce Primary, Bardfield Primary, and Cherry Tree primary schools and Northlands Junior School.

In Thurrock, these include St Mary’s, Lansdowne, Herringham and Somers Heath primary schools and Tilbury Manor Junior School.

The effects of obesity include problems with joints, bones, vision and headaches.

If it is not dealt with in childhood, it can lead to bladder disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, high blood pressure and diabetes.

However, Laura added how a common sense approach is still needed.

She said: “Nobody is saying that children can’t have a piece of cake or sweets. It’s all about balance.

“Eating healthily and doing exercise is what’s needed.”