Sessions

✨ Upcoming Sessions

All sessions take place on Friday afternoons at the Weeke Community Centre in Winchester, SO22 6HG and are small (6-8 children max) to keep them personalised and engaging.

Sessions are split into two age groups: 4-7 years old between 4.50-5.50pm and 8-11 years old between 6.05-7.05pm.

The two age groups explore the same big food and health themes, but at different levels. For younger children, we use playful language such as “Belly Bugs” alongside stories, sensory activities and simple cooking. For the older group, we go further into the science behind food and our bodies, introducing concepts such as gut microbes, the gut microbiome, digestion, fermentation, fibre and how different foods affect our bodies. Children learn these concepts through experiments, challenges, tasting and hands-on activities rather than simply being taught the facts.

🦠 Meet Your Gut Microbes — September 25th 2026
What exactly is the gut microbiome, and why do trillions of microbes live inside us? Children will discover the fascinating ecosystem in our digestive system and explore the different roles gut microbes can play in keeping our bodies healthy. Through interactive activities, food tasting and simple experiments, we'll start to uncover the science behind our gut microbiome. We'll also prepare a gut-friendly recipe together, exploring the ingredients and why they can be beneficial for our gut microbes.

🌾 Digestion, Gut Health & Fibre — October 16th 2026
What happens to food after we eat it? We'll follow the journey of food through the digestive system and discover where gut microbes fit into the process. Children will investigate why fibre is important, which foods contain different types of fibre, and how our gut microbes use it. Expect experiments, food challenges and plenty of opportunities to put the science into practice. We'll finish by making a delicious high-fibre recipe together, putting what we've learned about fibre into practice.

🦠 Gut Microbes & Fermented Foods — November 13th 2026
Fermentation is one of the oldest ways of transforming food — but what actually happens during fermentation? Children will investigate the role of microbes in foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi, tasting and comparing different fermented foods along the way. They'll explore how fermentation changes the flavour, texture and properties of food. We'll also make our own simple fermented food, giving children the chance to see and taste the process for themselves.

❄️ Winter Veg: From Plant to Plate — December 11th 2026
Why do different vegetables grow at different times of year, and what makes them so interesting nutritionally? Children will explore seasonal winter vegetables through sensory challenges, tasting and hands-on activities. We'll investigate what plants contain, how different cooking methods change flavour and texture, and how eating a wide variety of plants can support our health and our gut microbes. We'll then turn seasonal vegetables into a delicious recipe, experimenting with different flavours, textures and cooking techniques.

🍭 Sugar Detectives — January 8th 2027
Sugar isn't simply “good” or “bad” — so what actually happens when we eat it? Children will investigate the different forms of sugar found in everyday foods, compare food labels and explore how sweetness affects what we taste and enjoy. Through tasting experiments and real-world food challenges, we'll look at added sugars, naturally occurring sugars and how fibre changes the way we experience different foods. We'll also make a naturally sweet recipe together and investigate how we can create delicious food without relying on lots of added sugar.

🕵️‍♀️ Food Label Detectives — February 5th 2027
Can you really tell what's inside a food from its packaging? Children will become food label investigators, learning how to decode ingredient lists, nutrition information and food claims. They'll compare everyday products, investigate what different ingredients do and put their detective skills to the test in practical food challenges. We'll put our detective skills into practice by making a food from scratch and comparing it with a shop-bought version, looking at the ingredients in both.

🌈 Eat the Rainbow — March 5th 2027
Why are plants so colourful — and does colour tell us anything about what's inside them? Children will investigate the different compounds that give fruit and vegetables their colours and explore why eating a diverse range of plants matters for our health and our gut microbes. Through tasting challenges and hands-on activities, we'll discover just how much variety we can fit onto one plate. We'll then create a colourful rainbow recipe using a variety of fruits and vegetables, putting our learning into practice.

🍳 Little Chefs – Cooking from Scratch — April 16th 2027
What changes when we make food ourselves? Children will investigate how ingredients behave when we mix, heat, chop and transform them. Through practical cooking, they'll compare homemade and shop-bought foods, explore flavour and texture, and discover how understanding ingredients can make us more confident in the kitchen. The main activity will be cooking a recipe entirely from scratch, giving children the chance to practise their skills while exploring how individual ingredients come together to create a finished dish.

👩‍🍳 Little Chefs – Kitchen Science & Skills — May 14th 2027
Cooking is science you can eat! Children will develop practical kitchen skills while investigating what happens to food as we chop, mix, heat and combine ingredients. We'll explore the science behind texture, flavour and food safety, practise knife skills and hygiene, and work together to create a dish from scratch. We'll put our new skills to the test by cooking a recipe together, with each child taking an active role in preparing, combining and finishing the dish.

🥕 Little Chefs – Seasonal Food & Food Systems — June 11th 2027
Where does our food come from, and why does it matter when we eat it? Children will follow food from soil to plant to plate, exploring seasonality, local food and the journey our ingredients take before reaching us. Through food mapping, sensory challenges and seasonal tasting, we'll investigate how the way we grow, source and prepare food can influence what we eat. We'll finish by cooking a recipe using seasonal summer ingredients, giving children the opportunity to experience the journey from fresh ingredient to finished dish.