Tesco Ireland

Cooking up healthy habits in schools

Real Nation partnered with Tesco Ireland to create and deliver an engaging national cooking programme inspiring children to cook, eat, and live healthily.

Client

Tesco Ireland

Sector

Education, Community Engagement

Type of work

Design, Management & Delivery

Departments involved

Design, Education, Events, Project Management

Year

Pilot in 2024

What we did

From classroom concept to national rollout

Real Nation brought the entire Tesco Stronger Starts Cooks programme to life, from initial concept and classroom resources to on-site delivery.

Our education specialists created all lesson plans and learning materials, ensuring they were curriculum-linked, age-appropriate, and engaging. We also consulted closely with teachers to design a programme that fitted seamlessly into the school day and effectively supported food education objectives. Each element encouraged pupils to explore food through hands-on learning and teamwork.

Our project management team coordinated every detail. A dedicated Real Nation project manager liaised with nationwide schools to organise dates, logistics, and planning, making the experience seamless for teachers.

On the day of delivery, our mobile Real Nation culinary team arrived with food, utensils, and equipment, transforming school spaces into lively, interactive cookery classrooms.

In addition, Real Nation supported Tesco’s PR team at promotional events, helping to showcase the programme to wider audiences and celebrate the pupils’ learning achievements.

Chef in a white jacket demonstrates food preparation at a Tesco Stronger Starts Cooks event.

Tesco Stronger Starts Cooks recipe book and lesson materials with cooking tools and ingredients.

Chef leads a classroom lesson for primary pupils, presenting hygiene guidance on a screen at the front of the room.

Cooking lesson setup with bowls, utensils, ingredients, and a Tesco Stronger Starts Cooks thank-you card on a branded table.

Child wearing a Tesco Stronger Starts Cooks apron stirring a pot during a cooking lesson.

Group of schoolchildren wearing Tesco “Stronger Starts Cooks” aprons, standing with an adult chef at a food education event.

The Challenge

Bringing Tesco’s health initiative to life

Tesco Ireland wanted to expand its Stronger Starts community initiative by creating a hands-on cooking experience for primary school pupils. The aim was to help children build healthy eating habits, learn cooking skills, and understand the importance of nutrition in a fun, practical way. They needed a trusted partner to design, manage, and deliver the programme ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience for schools nationwide.

That’s where Real Nation came in.

The outcome / impact

Inspiring thousands of young cooks across Ireland

After a successful pilot in 2024, Real Nation rolled out Tesco Stronger Starts Cooks to 43 schools nationwide.

To date, over 2,700 pupils have taken part in the programme, each learning valuable life skills while gaining confidence around food and healthy eating.

The programme has become a flagship example of Real Nation’s end-to-end educational delivery. Combining creative development, expert facilitation, and flawless logistics to make learning truly memorable.

Through our partnership with Tesco Ireland, we’re helping to build stronger starts for children, one cooking class at a time.

Pupils have taken part in the programme.

Schools took part nationwide.

Of parents would recommend the programme.

Of children became more interested in learning how to cook.

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