LEATHAMS GET KIDS IN THE KITCHEN

PRESS RELEASE 20th December 2010 LEATHAMS GET KIDS IN THE KITCHEN Food innovators Leathams celebrate 30 years in business Leathams Ltd. celebrated 30 years of food innovation by bringing together 30 local school children to cook fun and tasty meals. Leathams and educational charity, The Kid’s Cookery School, taught the children at Ilderton Primary School, Southwark (Thursday 9th December 2010). The aim of the project was to get kids working together and have fun with food, while educating about health and safety in the kitchen, food nutrition and basic hygiene. “The children at Ilderton Primary had such a fantastic time cooking and creating fun and healthy food,” explains Clive Moxham, Director of Sales and Marketing at Leathams. “We’re so proud to have celebrated our 30th year in business by developing their cooking skills. Here at Leathams, we have a real passion for development and food innovation and we’re delighted to be able to share that knowledge. “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 it seemed like the perfect place for us to pass on our food knowledge. We have a long-standing relationship with The Kid’s Cookery School and it was a pleasure to work with them again on this project.” To find out more about The Kid’s Cookery School, visit www.thekidscookeryschool.co.uk. Ends. Issued on behalf of Merchant Gourmet by Public. Press enquiries: Chris Woolford, Tel: 01302 730303 or email: chris.woolford@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.