Sensory exploration of vegetables combined with a cookery class increases willingness to choose/eat plant-based food and drink

We report a study conducted at Underhill School in North London designed to assess the immediate impact of a culinary class with a chef on the students' willingness to choose and to eat unfamiliar vegetable-based food and beverage options. A total of 98 school children were randomly assigned to take part in either a 40-min sensory exploration and cooking class with chef Jozef Youssef and the Kitchen Theory team (the experimental condition) or else to take part in a creative origami class (the control condition) instead. The results demonstrate that Year 2 children (aged 6–7 years) were significantly more willing to choose unfamiliar vegetable-based food and drink offerings after having taken part in the sensory exploration and cooking class than after taking part in the control origami class. These results therefore highlight the potential relevance of sensory exploration and a brief chef-based cooking lesson on young children's willingness to choose and eat plant-based food.