Welcome to CRuNCH
Welcome to CRuNCH. We're a game-changing charity dedicated to creating healthier, happier futures for young people.
Our young people are our future. Help us equip our them with the skills and knowledge they need to make that future a good one.
We provide fully-funded education programmes to schools and community organisations to promote, sustain and increase knowledge of nutrition, food preparation and cookery skills and healthy lifestyles.
'Cook5 with CRuNCH' is our exciting programme to inspire and enable teenagers to cook 5 healthy meals from scratch before they leave home; vital life-skills for better long-term physical and mental wellbeing.
- more about 'Cook5 with CRuNCH' HERE.
Why CRuNCH?
…because it’s CRuNCH time.
50% of 10-11 year-olds are predicted to be either overweight or obese by 2050.
In 1950 this figure was just 1%.
In 2022 to 2023, 64.0% of adults aged 18 years and over in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity.
We are facing a calamitous public health crisis which threatens our future well-being and economic success.
It’s CRuNCH time…”
66% of the UK teenager's diet comes from ultra-processed foods
We are losing our cooking skills
Sedentary lifestyles - 80% of adolescents not active enough
Poor nourishment is a risk factor for ...
Obesity
38% of 10-11 year olds are either overweight or suffering from obesity.(1)
Poor Mental Health
In 2023 34% of 18–24 year olds reported symptoms of ‘common mental disorders’ (eg anxiety and/or depression). Research has shown that a good diet can have a positive impact on our mood, improve our ability to concentrate, and lead to better sleep amongst many other positive outcomes.(2)
* sources: (1) The House of Commons Library. (2) Mind, (3) Diabetes UK, (4) Macmillan Cancer Support, (5) British Heart Foundation
Type 2 Diabetes
Diagnoses of type 2 diabetes have doubled since 2009, with now 3.7 million people in the UK suffering from the disease. 2016/17 to 22/23 saw a 40% increase in the number of under 40 yr olds with type 2 diabetes. Key risk factors are obesity and high blood pressure. (3)
Cancer & Heart Disease
Obesity increases the risk of 13 different types of cancers. Macmillan Cancer Support estimates that the number of people living with cancer in the UK will rise from the current 3 million to 5.3 million by 2040(4).
Likewise, heart disease is increasing in young people with the increase in ultra-processed foods, and decreasing physical activity, contributing to the rise. (5)
CRuNCH Initiatives
Cook 5 with CRuNCH
Revolutionising the health of the next generation, Cook 5 with CRuNCH is a ground-breaking (and fun!) initiative born out of many years of experience delivering healthy eating and cookery programmes in schools and local communities across the UK.
Cook 5 with CRuNCH enables and inspires young people to cook 5 simple, nourishing recipes before they leave home as well as gain a basic understanding of how to eat for better physical and mental wellbeing.
Young people not only start out on a cooking journey that will last a lifetime, they learn to connect with food so they can make healthier choices, they grow in self-confidence and they develop leadership skills.
All fantastic skills to set them up for life…
This initiative is primarily designed for 11-14 year olds (KS3), but can be delivered to older and younger age groups.
Find out more about our pilot by clicking below…
COOK 5 pilot at Merchant's Academy
Here is N'gu tasting her cooking for the first time :)
COOK 5 with CRuNCH in the South West!
We aim to start with Bristol and then roll-out into the rest of the UK, starting with the South West of England.
Can you help us make Bristol the first #Cook5 City?
We’ve successfully piloted #Cook5 in Merchant’s Academy, a school in Withywood, Bristol, and are ready to roll out to more schools, guides, scouts and community hubs.
“I am over the moon that we have had the opportunity to work with Kate piloting her Cook 5 initiative, Kate’s positivity and energy are infectious and our young people have loved learning to cook family recipes from scratch with her
Equipping our young people with basic skills to enable them to lead healthy and happy lives has never been more of a priority and one that we are equally passionate about at Merchants Academy. More of the same please Kate!”
Sam Williamson, Principal of Merchant’s Academy, Withywood, Bristol
The Power of 5!
“The secret weapon is to keep it real and achievable.
And fun!
Five simple recipes, five key cooking skills, five nutrition tips, embedding five physical activities into your week.
There’s real power in the number 5!”
5 x HEALTHY MEALS
Students choose from our selection of 50 simple, healthy recipes, which cater for different cultures and diets.
5 x COOKING SKILLS
Students learn 5 key skills which will stick with them for life. These include knife skills and how to chop and slice an onion, food safety and hygiene, boiling steaming and sautéing.
5 X NUTRITION THEMES
Students learn 5 key aspects of a balanced diet – carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals and hydration – helps students understand how food works.
5 x PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
Students incorporate 5 activities into their week; from walking or cycling to school, a 15 minute morning run or a full game of football, it all adds up….
These 5 x skills build a bank of knowledge which build confidence in the kitchen
and set a solid foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating and active lifestyle.
Recipes, Resources and Lesson Plans
For Schools
For Parents
For Communities
Cross-curricular resources also coming soon:
– Cook 5 for Sport – learn to cook 5 meals to fuel your sport correctly
– Cook 5 in Spanish – learn to cook 5 tapas in Spanish
– Cook 5 with French – learn to cook 5 French classics
– Cook 5 with German – learn to cook 5 German specialities
– Cook 5 with History – step back in time with 5 meals from the past
“Food is so much more than ‘healthy’ or ‘nutrition’, however. It’s the stuff of life, it’s about enjoyment, it unites.
Cooking together, sitting down ‘breaking bread’, discussing the day, your feelings, arguing your point…there’s nothing better!”
Our Trustees
If you are interested in supporting us by becoming a Trustee, please do email us - hello@crunchtime.org.uk
John Thompson
John, our Chair of Trustees, has worked globally as Chief Technical Officer for some of the largest operators in the telecoms sector, including Vodafone, where he was responsible for designing and running networks in over 15 countries across Europe. More recently, he has worked as an advisor to Management Consultants Bain & Co.
Rayne Roberts
With an MSc in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health, Rayne is a huge advocate for teaching children how to cook. Her expertise is in making evidence-based nutrition accessible and easy to put into practice and her bespoke nutrition education and cookery-based programmes have been used by sports clubs (including Bath Rugby) and schools across the UK.
Chris Girling
A Mental Health Nurse at the University of Bristol Student Mental Health Clinic, Chris is passionate about food and improving children's wellbeing.
Gallery
A few pics from our pilot intitiatives...
It's not just about the money! There are lots of ways to get involved with CRuNCH, from volunteering, advocacy and helping spread the wotd..
Contact us
E-mail: hello@crunchtime.org.uk
Charity Registration Number: 1211341
Help us make a change
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.