Support for NEA2 2024/25

Are you currently planning support for your pupils around the NEA2 tasks for 2024/25? If so, don’t forget that we have plenty of resources on Food – a fact of life to help!

Applying knowledge and skills

An understanding and application of nutritional knowledge is essential when planning what to cook. Whether for ourselves or for someone else.

Nutrition needs change through life and in the 14-16 years area you will find resources to support teaching and learning about life stages and nutrition needs, e.g. the different needs for children, young people and adults.

A thorough knowledge of healthy eating guidelines, energy and nutrients will help pupils plan and create dishes to meet particular needs, particularly health issues associated with dietary excess or deficiency, including obesity.

Pupils might find it useful to work through the case studies based around the Explore food nutritional analysis tool, which allow pupils to create, modify and analyse the diet plans of different groups of people. This will allow pupils to apply their knowledge of how nutritional requirements differ for different groups of people and will allow them to practically analyse diet plans.

There are two types of case studies for pupils:

• Case study 1 to 4: these provide the food and drinks consumed, with pupils being challenge to calculate suitable portion sizes;
• Case study 5 to 10: pupils need to determine the menu (and portion sizes) for the day.

When investigating recipes to make and trial, teachers and pupils might find this guide to recipes to demonstrate the application of nutrition knowledge useful to refer to.

Modifying recipes is one strategy to improving health. Recipes can be modified to include more fruit and vegetables, contain more fibre, and /or contain less fat, free sugars or salt. Task your pupils to complete one of the recipe modification worksheets to demonstrate their understanding and application of healthier eating. There is a choice of five worksheets: Modifying recipes – bolognaise, Modifying recipes – cauliflower cheese, Modifying recipes – pasta and tomato sauce, Modifying recipes – sausage and mash, Modifying recipes – apple crumble. The Small change Big difference worksheets could also be used as an alternative activity.

Adverse reactions to food

Most people can eat foods without any problems although they may have different likes or dislikes that influence what they choose. However, some people react to certain foods and eating them may cause uncomfortable symptoms or, in rare cases, a severe illness. It is important for pupils to be aware of allergies and intolerances and plan and cook dishes and meals accordingly. This also includes preparing and cooking in a safe and hygienic way, including the prevention of allergenic cross-contamination.

Scroll to the bottom of the health issues web page for resources around allergies and intolerances (adverse reactions to food). Resources around preventing food contamination are also available.

Nutritious, delicious and economical

The cost and availability of ingredients and money available can impact food choices and there are resources to support pupils to consider this when developing recipes, including a Cooking on a budget fact sheet. Pupils might also want to think about using leftovers and how this can be done safely.  Why not run the ‘Super soup’ activity with pupils to demonstrate how prevent food waste (and therefore save money.  There are teacher’s instructions, a recipe/activity sheet for pupils to follow and also an additional recipe to make simple flatbreads.

There are also some simple tips to help save money on food.

Using ingredients in season can also help to keep costs down and add variety to dishes and menus whether cooking from scratch at home or eating at a café or restaurant. Buying and eating food that is in season means that it: is fresh, has the best flavour, texture and colour, and has optimum nutritional value.

Looking for recipe inspiration?

There are over 300 tried and tested recipes, including great ideas for all meal occasions, including lunch, and ‘fakeaway’ recipes that are an ideal alternative for takeaways that are often considered a less healthy option.

Research by the British Nutrition Foundation showed that pupils are wanting to eat more dishes from around the world that are modern, diverse and reflect different cultures. If your pupils are looking to showcase recipes from around the world, there are 50 new recipes covering six global cuisines along with supporting resources, e.g. a brief overview of the history, traditions and ingredients for each cuisine, including South America, Eastern Asia and Eastern Europe.  There are also resources around culture and religion in relation to food choice and a presentation on food traditions around Europe.

Nutritional analysis

It is important that pupils have a good understanding of the current healthy eating messages and that they can then apply these when planning recipes and meals. Nutritional analysis of recipes enables pupils to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and application of these messages. Explore food can be used to conduct nutritional analysis and its free to use!  

Sensory evaluation

Sensory evaluation tests can be used to determine whether someone likes or dislikes a food (preference tests) or identify particular sensory characteristics of a food (discrimination tests). Use the Guide to sensory evaluation testing to support understanding and practical application in the classroom. There are also a variety of Excel spreadsheets to enable the pupils to produce the results of their sensory testing easily and attractively.

We also have a resource to support pupils developing and using appropriate technical language. The Key terms and definitions document is a comprehensive and interactive glossary, which is ideal for pupils when learning and practising vocabulary around food and nutrition and also for checking retrieval during revision activities.

There are also a couple of posters to encourage pupils to use good sensory vocabulary:

• Sensory vocabulary
• Using your senses

How about how about building up to NEA2 through a challenge-based activity?

The Challenges cover healthy eating, cooking and where food comes from and provide a wide range of activities that teachers can select depending on their pupils’ needs, age and abilities, and the time available. Each Challenge presentation comprises:

• slides to present the Challenge to the class, including images, information and questions/tasks to stimulate pupil discussion and planning;
• a teachers' guide with opportunities for learning and a variety of pupil activities that can be completed individually or in groups.

The Challenges culminate in a final outcome, which could be paper based, such as a poster or display, a video or interactive activity, a recipe, menu or dish/range of dishes, depending on the theme of the Challenge.

Optional pupil certificates are available to download and personalise once the Challenge has been achieved.

• Variety is the spice of life – create a three-day menu for someone with a specific dietary need.
• New cuisines, new tastes - prepare and cook a dish, or range of dishes, which showcases our modern, diverse food culture.
• Eat your way round the UK -  create a menu, write a recipe or make a dish for a new community café whose unique selling point will be to predominantly use ingredients grown, reared or caught in the UK.