In September, Edinburgh Community Food’s Early Years Nutrition Specialist, Sema Jamali, led two food exploration workshops at Westfield Secondary School in partnership with Dr Abigail Pickard (University of Edinburgh). These sessions form part of the TAStE project, which looks at selective and fussy eating in children and young people, and were funded through the British Academy Seed Funding scheme.

The workshops introduced pupils to new ways of engaging with food, from chopping fruit and smelling spices, to learning about the Eatwell Guide and the role of vitamins. Pupils also prepared simple recipes, including banana and oat “snowballs” and their own healthy pot noodles.

These activities provide valuable opportunities to observe how young people respond to new food experiences, helping to inform our research on eating behaviours and strategies to support children with selective eating.

In the gallery below, you can read more about the ideas generated on important aspects of food and sensory workshops for Autistic individuals.

To learn more about the work of Edinburgh Community Food, visit www.edinburghcommunityfood.org.uk