Food innovators Leathams celebrate 30 years in business

Leathams Ltd. is celebrating 30 years of food innovation by bringing together 30 local school children to cook fun and tasty pizzas. Leathams and educational charity, The Kid’s Cookery School, will teach 30 children at Ilderton Primary School, Southwark, on the 9th December 2010. The aim is to educate children about health and safety in the kitchen, food nutrition, basic hygiene and, most importantly, working together and having fun. Clive Moxham, Sales and Marketing Director at Leathams, explains: “We’re proud to be celebrating our 30th year in business by developing the cooking skills of youngsters. Here at Leathams, we have a real passion for development and food innovation and we’re delighted to be able to share that knowledge with local school children.” “It’s important, in this modern world of fast food and quick fix snacks, that children learn the benefits of healthy eating and find enjoyment in cooking and eating good quality food.” Adds Fiona Hamilton-Fairley, CEO The Kid’s Cookery School: “Now that we have a fully equipped mobile kitchen we can go into schools and teach many more children how to cook fresh, delicious and healthy food from scratch and explain to children why what you eat and drink is important. Children love to cook; it’s fun, creative and our workshops develop a life skill that they can carry forward into adulthood. The Kid’s Cookery School believes that every child should have the opportunity to learn this vital skill.” Concludes Clive: “Ilderton Primary School is located just down the road from our head office and seems a great place for us to start passing on our extensive food knowledge. We have a long-standing relationship with The Kid’s Cookery School and it’s a pleasure to be working with them again on this project. We can’t wait to see what the youngsters create in the kitchen.” To find out more about The Kid’s Cookery School, visit www.thekidscookeryschool.co.uk. Ends. Press wishing to attend the event should organise their attendance through the contact details below. Issued on behalf of Merchant Gourmet by Public. Press enquiries: Liam Grady, Tel: 01302 730303 or email: liam.grady@openatpublic.com Notes to editors: Leathams Ltd. Leathams was founded in 1980 by brothers Mark and Oliver Leatham to sell game to the restaurant trade in London. Thirty years on, leading chefs, caterers, food manufacturers and retailers rely on the company for consistent quality and innovative food ingredients. The company supplies over 1,100 specialist products in the Delicatessen, Grocery, Meat & Poultry, Patisserie & Bakery categories, and owns the award-winning food brands Merchant Gourmet®, SunBlush®, LaFresca®, Charcuti® and Chef’s Brigade®. Leathams’ brands have been successful despite the tough economic climate; Merchant Gourmet® is currently experiencing 22 per cent year-on-year growth* whilst SunBlush® enjoyed 30 per cent growth last year. Leathams now employs over 150 staff and sources products from 27 different countries across the world, with a turnover is in excess of £50million. * Annual MERCHANT GOURMET® sales 2009/10 compared to 2010/11 = 22% growth The Kid’s Cookery School (KCS) The Kid’s Cookery School (KCS) works with over 3,0000 students a year and gives children and young people the skills and knowledge needed to make healthy food for themselves. Since launching KCS on Wheels in October 2009 the charity has been able to travel around many London Boroughs delivering cookery sessions to schools, community groups and special needs centres.