Marcus Rashford and Tom Kerridge launch FullTime campaign

Thursday 22 April 2021 12:57

In response to the UK Government’s April 2021 uplift of the Healthy Start voucher scheme, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge have joined forces to launch ‘FULL TIME: Get Cooking with Marcus & Tom’.

This nationwide initiative is in support of the #EndChildFoodPoverty campaign launched by Marcus in September 2020, and in partnership with his Child Poverty Taskforce, supported by Facebook and Instagram. Together, the goal is to call ‘Full Time’ on child food poverty.

The ambitious project aims to equip families with the skills to get the most out of the Healthy Start vouchers which from April will equate to £4.25 per child under the age of four per week and to encourage a 100 per cent take up rate from eligible families. FULL TIME wish to eliminate the stigma around the use of these vouchers and encourage parents and carers to enjoy one hour of valuable time each week, cooking with their children.

Marcus is excited to get the project underway. "Following Government investment into Healthy Start it was important to me that we demonstrated the power in collaboration,” he said in a statement.

"We needed to come up with a creative project that really engaged children most in need, preparing them for what adult life has to offer, whilst also attracting all children to break down stigma around usage of the vouchers.

"This project is for every child and I really hope parents and carers will benefit from having a bit of valuable time together in the kitchen when family activity is heavily restricted by financial restraints. I’m proud of what we’ve done here, I’m thankful for Tom, thankful for the Child Food Poverty Task Force members, and I can’t wait to see what the response is."

Chef Kerridge has created 52 delicious, family recipes, as part of this 12-month programme. The recipes are simple and easy to follow with emphasis on limited equipment and inclusion of store cupboard goods with a longer shelf life.

From Sunday 25 April recipes will be available to pick up in various forms from selected supermarkets every Sunday morning. Each recipe will feature a QR code linking through to the ‘FULL TIME’ Instagram page where users can access short-form tutorial videos, hosted by Tom, Marcus and a selection of celebrity guests and families. Recipes will include tasty, substantial meals such as: tortilla pizzas, chicken satay stir fry, fish pie jackets, Mexican style chicken, broccoli & cauliflower cheese, creamy chicken pie.

Each Sunday, on the @FULLTIMEMEALS Instagram page, a cook-along video will launch with Tom teaching Marcus, a celebrity guest or a family how to cook that week’s recipe. Children and their parents or carers will be encouraged to give each recipe a try at home sharing their results via Instagram with Tom and Marcus and the hashtag #fulltimemeals.

FULL TIME hopes to help give children and families the skills and confidence to cook good, proper food in their own kitchens, with the equipment available to them. It will be creative, fun and engaging, offering families valuable time in the kitchen and being able to enjoy a tasty meal together.

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