November ‘25
November began in the best possible way with Alice delivering a lively soup-making demonstration at Lyle Gateway. This set the tone for the month ahead and highlighted exactly what we aim to achieve through our work: practical food education, confidence in the kitchen and simple, affordable ways to eat well. From there, it was full steam ahead with soup at the heart of everything we did.
Throughout the month we visited Newark, Larkfield, Wemyss Bay, Wellpark, Whinhill and Binnie Street nurseries, working with children aged 3–5 to make fresh, healthy soup together. While we spend spring and summer supporting nursery garden spaces and outdoor growing, winter is all about bringing those food conversations indoors, helping children understand where food comes from and how it can be turned into something nourishing and delicious.
The children were fantastic! With careful guidance they chopped vegetables, helped tidy up, and worked as a team throughout the sessions. They even “went shopping”, filling bags with soup ingredients and a recipe to take home and try with their families. While the soup bubbled away, there was still time for a healthy eating game and some gentle Tai Chi, keeping bodies moving as well as minds engaged.
When it came to tasting the soup, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Many children told us they couldn’t wait to make it again at home, a small step towards building lifelong healthy habits. Nursery staff consistently commented on how valuable it was to see the children engaged with food in such a hands-on, fun way. Parents have also shared positive feedback, telling us that their children were excited to talk about the sessions at home and keen to help with cooking which is exactly the kind of ripple effect we hope to create.
All of this work fits squarely within Inverclyde Council’s new food strategy, which aligns with Scottish Government priorities and focuses on three key strands: food education, food growing spaces and sharing and reducing food waste. Our nursery programme brings these strands together, from growing in the gardens to cooking and learning about food, to reducing waste by making the most of simple, affordable ingredients.
Inverclyde continues to face some of the poorest health outcomes in Scotland, alongside high levels of poverty. Recent news has once again highlighted the links between ultra-processed food and poor health, making this work more important than ever. Encouraging families to cook from scratch using fresh ingredients can feel challenging, but soup is a brilliant place to start. It’s simple, flexible and affordable, and can easily be boosted with a tin of beans or chickpeas for added protein. For just a couple of pounds, a pot of soup can provide a healthy, filling meal for the whole family.
Alongside our nursery work, November also included our regular weekly coffee-grounds collection from The Alchemist for community garden compost, surplus food collections from Lidl delivered to Belville, weekly indoor upcycling sessions with the gardeners at Craigend, and continued work behind the scenes on this website. Add in a week of sickness and a week of holiday between us and suddenly November was over and we were heading straight into December.
As we begin to explore National Lottery funding, we’re reflecting on just how valuable this work is, not only in improving food skills and confidence, but in supporting healthier futures for children and families across Inverclyde. November was a reminder that small, practical actions really can make a difference.
