Community Projects
Through our charitable projects, we work with individuals, communities, and organisations to improve health, build skills, and create meaningful social connections.
From supporting people facing isolation or disadvantage to empowering young people and influencing national approaches to food education, our programmes are designed to make a lasting difference. Each project combines practical learning with a strong sense of purpose – helping people gain confidence, develop new opportunities, and feel part of something bigger.
Air Fryer Project
Supporting healthier living and reducing social isolation in Bassetlaw
The School of Artisan Food delivers community-based air fryer cookery programmes across Bassetlaw, bringing people together through practical food education at venues including Harworth & Bircotes Town Hall, Bassetlaw Food Bank in Worksop, and A Place To Call Our Own (APCOO).
These hands-on courses help participants develop the skills and confidence to create healthy, affordable meals using energy-efficient air fryers. Through a series of interactive sessions, learners explore a wide range of recipes, from vegetable-focused dishes and nutritious snacks to complete family meals and seasonal favourites. Along the way, they gain practical knowledge in healthy eating, meal planning, food budgeting, and making the most of everyday ingredients.
More than just a cookery course, the programme is designed to strengthen community connections and support wellbeing. Participants have the opportunity to meet new people, share experiences, and learn in a welcoming and supportive environment. The classes are particularly valuable for older adults, people living alone, and those looking to build confidence in both cooking and social situations.
By combining expert tuition with accessible, real-world cooking skills, the School of Artisan Food’s air fryer projects demonstrate how food education can help people eat well, reduce energy costs, build confidence, and create lasting connections within their local communities.
Holiday Activity and Food Fund
Best Food Forward works in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council to deliver practical food training for Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) providers, helping organisations create positive, inclusive and nutritious food experiences for children and young people. The programme was developed to equip HAF providers with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to meet School Food Standards while delivering engaging food education within their holiday provision.
Delivered at The School of Artisan Food, our 6.5-hour training combines nutrition education with hands-on cooking and practical learning. Sessions are led by a qualified food education teacher and a registered dietitian, covering topics including healthy eating, food preparation skills, menu planning, food standards, dietary requirements, cultural inclusivity and strategies for engaging children in positive conversations about food.
The programme supports a diverse range of HAF providers, including activity leaders, play workers, managers, catering teams and volunteers. Following training, participants reported significant improvements in confidence and knowledge across key areas, particularly understanding School Food Standards and supporting neurodivergent children with food-related activities and mealtimes. More than 75% of attendees planned to make positive changes to their provision, including increasing food education activities, improving menu variety and creating more inclusive food experiences.
Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with 100% saying they would recommend the training to other HAF providers. Attendees particularly valued the practical cooking activities, recipes, tools and strategies that could be immediately applied within their holiday clubs.
Through this work, Best Food Forward is helping HAF providers build confidence, improve food quality and create meaningful opportunities for children to develop healthy relationships with food that can last a lifetime.
Medics and Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare professionals play a vital role in supporting the health and wellbeing of the communities they serve. However, despite diet being a key factor in preventing and managing many long-term health conditions, nutrition education is often limited within medical and healthcare training. Best Food Forward has been working to bridge this gap by providing practical, evidence-based food education for medics and healthcare professionals.
Through a programme of research and training, we engaged healthcare professionals across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire to better understand their experiences and educational needs. Our findings revealed that while most professionals regularly discuss food and nutrition with patients, many had received very little formal training and wanted greater confidence in providing dietary advice.
In response, we developed and delivered an innovative hands-on training programme combining nutrition education, practical food skills, behaviour change techniques and collaborative learning. Participants explored the links between food, health and the environment, gained practical cooking and meal-planning skills, and learnt about trusted nutrition resources to support patient care.
The programme demonstrated significant improvements in participants’ confidence, knowledge and ability to support healthier food choices. Healthcare professionals reported feeling more empowered to have meaningful conversations about diet, incorporate food into everyday consultations, and encourage positive lifestyle changes. Many described the training as inspiring, relevant and highly valuable to their practice.
By empowering healthcare professionals with practical food knowledge and skills, Best Food Forward is helping to strengthen preventative healthcare, improve patient outcomes and create healthier communities through the power of good food.
Food Behind Bars
The School of Artisan Food is proud to support Food Behind Bars and HMP North Sea Camp through a pioneering butchery training programme designed to create meaningful opportunities for skills development, wellbeing, and rehabilitation. Built around a specialist “train the trainer” model, the programme equips prison staff with the knowledge and confidence needed to establish and deliver a sustainable in-prison butchery training offer.
Delivered by expert tutors Sally-Ann Hunt and Andrew Sharpe, the programme combines traditional butchery skills with a strong focus on sustainability, product development, and the efficient use of whole animals. Training begins with food safety, hygiene, and health and safety fundamentals before progressing into practical workshops at both the School of Artisan Food’s Welbeck campus and HMP North Sea Camp.
Participants develop expertise in nose-to-tail pork butchery, knife skills, meat sourcing, carcass breakdown, curing, smoking, and preservation. The course also explores how artisan techniques can be used to create value-added products, including sausages, pork pies, Scotch eggs, and other marketable food products. Alongside technical training, learners gain an understanding of equipment requirements, operational planning, and how to successfully launch and manage a butchery training environment.
This collaborative programme demonstrates how specialist food education can support workforce development, create new learning opportunities within custodial settings, and provide practical skills that can contribute to future employment and personal development. By combining artisan expertise with a commitment to rehabilitation, the partnership helps build confidence, vocational capability, and long-term opportunities through food and craft skills.
Lincoln College
The School of Artisan Food is proud to work in partnership with Lincoln College, providing Hospitality and Catering students with unique opportunities to develop specialist skills in a professional artisan food environment. Through a programme of immersive workshops at our Welbeck campus, learners gain hands-on experience that complements their college studies and exposes them to advanced food production techniques.
Students from Levels 1, 2 and 3 take part in a diverse range of workshops covering bread making, sourdough fermentation, enriched doughs, patisserie, butchery, food preservation, and outdoor cookery. Guided by expert tutors, learners explore both the theory and practice behind artisan food production, developing technical skills while building confidence, creativity, and problem-solving abilities.
Workshops include sourdough baking, advanced pastry techniques such as puff and choux pastry, butchery and curing methods, smoking and preservation, and live-fire cooking through our popular Fire & Smoke BBQ experiences. Students learn in commercial-standard facilities and gain valuable insight into traditional craft techniques and their application within the modern food and hospitality industry.
By bringing learners into a specialist food education setting, the partnership helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry expectations. The programme equips students with practical experience, technical competence, and professional confidence, supporting their progression into careers across the food, hospitality, and artisan production sectors.
Chefs in Schools Snack Takeover
The School of Artisan Food is delighted to partner with Chefs in Schools, the award-winning charity dedicated to improving children’s health and reducing inequality through better school food and food education. The organisation works with schools across the UK to improve food quality, train catering teams, and help schools serve fresh, nutritious meals that encourage healthier eating habits.
As part of this partnership, The School hosted the Snack Takeover Pilot, bringing together Chefs in Schools and secondary school partners including Quarrydale Academy, Heritage High School, and Outwood Academy Valley. The pilot focused on developing nutritious, appealing grab-and-go snack options that align with updated School Food Standards and reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods, while remaining practical and attractive to students.
Working alongside food education specialists and school catering teams, participants explored recipe development, batch production techniques, and innovative approaches to healthier school food. The project provided a valuable opportunity to test new products, share expertise, and gather feedback directly from students, ensuring that healthier choices remain both accessible and popular. Early results demonstrated encouraging progress in recipe development, kitchen production skills, and positive student engagement.
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to improving food culture within schools and supporting the next generation to develop healthier relationships with food. Building on the success of the pilot, Chefs in Schools will continue to work with The School of Artisan Food and participating schools to refine recipes, strengthen school partnerships, and expand the initiative to reach additional secondary school settings.
ELCAS
The School of Artisan Food is proud to be an approved provider under the Ministry of Defence’s Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS), opening up new opportunities for serving personnel and Armed Forces veterans to access professional food and hospitality training. ELCAS provides financial support for learners undertaking nationally recognised qualifications at Level 3 and above, helping individuals develop new skills and prepare for future career opportunities.
Through our ELCAS-approved provision, members of the Armed Forces community can access specialist training in artisan food production, hospitality, and related craft skills within a unique learning environment at Welbeck. Our courses combine practical, hands-on experience with expert tuition, enabling learners to gain recognised qualifications while developing technical competence, confidence, and industry-relevant knowledge.
As more of our programmes achieve recognised accreditation and Ofqual benchmarking, an increasing number of courses are becoming eligible for ELCAS funding. This creates valuable pathways into food, hospitality, education, and small business enterprise for those transitioning from military service or seeking to build new professional skills alongside their existing experience.
The partnership reflects the School’s commitment to widening access to education and ensuring that high-quality vocational learning is available to diverse communities. By reducing financial barriers and supporting lifelong learning, ELCAS enables more people from the Armed Forces community to pursue their ambitions, gain recognised qualifications, and explore rewarding careers within the food and hospitality sector.
