COOKING and nutrition should be taught in primary schools, according to one of the country’s leading chefs.

Supermarket chain Lidl’s new ‘chef-in-residence’ Kevin Love, who has worked for Heston Blumenthal and recently designed the menu for the star-studded Pride of Britain awards, is on a mission to help families eat better.

He explains: “I think young people are not as exposed to foods and cooking as they should be.

“I would love to see cooking and nutrition on a primary school syllabus as knowing how to cook and eat a healthy diet is as important as maths, literacy and science in my opinion.”

Kevin adds: “Good, well-cooked food doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.

"It's disappointing when you find out how many people struggle to find time to cook.

“As a nation we are very time poor, so convenience food has become the norm for many families.

"With just a little knowledge and more importantly a desire to eat better, people can prepare great seasonal food which is so much healthier for themselves, their families and their bank balances.”

Kevin joined Lidl earlier this year, following a spell as head chef at Heston Blumenthal’s award winning Hinds Head pub in Berkshire.

As well as helping the discount supermarket source gourmet ingredients, Kevin will feature in the its TV adverts, help develop its Deluxe range with ‘a few cheffy twists’ and offer recipe and cooking tips.

He is also hoping to tour schools around the UK, helping young people learn more about food and nutrition in a fun way.

First stop was Auldhouse Primary in East Kilbride, who were delighted to be ‘guinea pigs’ for the project.

“Chef Kevin was amazing,” chorused primary four pupils Harry Wallace, Lucy Green and Aelish Colquhoun.

“He told us why it’s good to have a balanced diet,” added primary two pupil Emily Wood.

“It was great watching him explode mint sweets in fizzy drinks,” said Calum Mackinnon, from primary six.

The exploding sweets – a nod to his previous experience with king of the food experiment Heston, perhaps – helped Kevin explain the difference between healthy and unhealthy ingredients, a theme throughout the morning workshop which also included fruit art, tasting sessions and fun games.

“Because Auldhouse Primary is a small school, with 34 pupils ranging in age from four to 12, it was a challenge to include as many different activities and games that would appeal across the groups, but it worked brilliantly,” explains Kevin.

“The whole point is to get kids fired up about fruit and veg, healthy eating and cooking, getting them tasting and touching the different foodstuffs to learn more about them.

“It was a huge amount of fun and hopefully they also got a lot out of it.”

Headteacher Jennifer Innes said: “Having a real Michelin-starred chef in the school, working with the pupils and passing on his knowledge, was amazing.

“It brought the whole experience of learning about healthy diets to life. Kevin’s visit coincided with out action-packed Health Week so they loved finding out about fruit and veg and using healthy food for meals and snacks.

“We’re really grateful to Kevin and Lidl for coming along – it was truly inspiring.”

Kevin – who cooks at home with his own children – says his inspiration came from his mum, Shirley.

“She had a repertoire of dishes she used to cook from scratch every day - we had curries, spag bol and all the classics including liver which I loved,” grins Kevin, who grew up in Bognor Regis in Sussex.

“I would help her when I could, as long as my homework was done first.

“I think that kids should learn cooking skills wherever they can - it's a modern world now and parents are working harder than ever so I do think some of the responsibility should go to our schools.”

Kevin worked in his local Wimpy burger bar in Sussex when he was 14 and, after discovering a talent for cooking, went to Spain at the age of 19, where he joined the kitchen of acclaimed Catalan chef Santi Santamaria whose restaurant became the first of its kind to win three Michelin stars.

On his return to the UK, he worked in top London restaurants before his son was born, when he took up a position as a store manager for Lidl.

“I was impressed back then by the quality of their produce,” he says. “I’ve been an advocate for them ever since.”

The lure of the kitchen proved too strong and Kevin returned to the restaurant business, eventually joining Heston Blumenthal’s team at the Hinds Head and within three months he was head chef.

“Working there was a dream come true for me, it was a constant source of inspiration and a great challenge,” says Kevin.

“Winning a Michelin star was the icing on the cake.

"Telling the team we had won a star is a memory I will cherish forever.”

Spending the morning with the children from Auldhouse Primary has also given Kevin a chance to see more of Scotland.

“I came up in January to visit a beef farm which supplies Lidl and I drove to Loch Fyne to try the oysters, which were amazing,” he smiles.

“I haven’t eaten in Glasgow yet but I love the vibe in the city and I can’t wait to come back in November for the BBC Good Food Show.”

He adds: “Scotland has breathtaking landscape. I love the outdoors and Scotland offers some of the best scenery around.”