Taste and Aesthetics on the Plate: A Creative Approach to School Catering in Krāslava Municipality

The Latgale Planning Region project “SchoolFoodWasteSolutions” is creating change not only in partner municipalities and schools, but also more broadly across the region. The project’s activities promote a more sustainable approach to school catering, emphasizing the importance of high-quality, balanced, and appealing meals for children, while also seeking solutions to reduce food waste.

This approach was put into practice on March 11 at Dagda Secondary School, where a creative workshop for school cooks from Krāslava Municipality titled “Taste and Aesthetics on the Plate – An Innovative Approach to School Catering” took place. The workshop brought together cooks from Krāslava Varavīksne Secondary School, Dagda Secondary School, Ezernieki Primary School, and Aleksandrova Primary School. The aim of the event was to share experiences, gain new ideas for school catering, and practically try preparing different dishes.

At the beginning of the day, participants listened to a presentation by Nataļja Bistrova, who took part in the “SchoolFoodWasteSolutions” project, sharing her experience about food traditions in Swedish schools. The presentation highlighted the importance of healthy and balanced nutrition in students’ daily lives, as well as how school catering is organized in Sweden and how children’s interest in a diverse menu is encouraged.

After the theoretical part, practical work followed. Working in teams, the cooks prepared several dishes: meatball soup with melted cheese, fresh cabbage salad, a main course of mashed potatoes with chicken and cherry tomato skewers and sauce, an afternoon snack of potato pancakes with sour cream sauce, and a dessert – panna cotta. During the workshop, a creative and friendly atmosphere prevailed, with participants sharing their knowledge, cooking experience, and ideas on how to make school menus even more appealing to students.

Once the dishes were prepared, each team presented their work, explaining the ingredients they had chosen, the cooking process, and their ideas for presenting the dishes. The event concluded with a tasting of all the prepared meals, allowing participants to appreciate both the variety of flavors and the creativity of their colleagues.

Meetings of this kind provide a valuable opportunity for school cooks to improve their professional skills and gain inspiration for new solutions in their everyday work, helping them offer students healthy, tasty, and diverse meals.

The Latgale Planning Region is pleased that the experience and knowledge gained through the “SchoolFoodWasteSolutions” project activities are being shared with colleagues and used in other schools as well. Such initiatives demonstrate that the project’s goals extend beyond the partner municipalities, promoting positive changes in school catering throughout the Latgale region. The exchange of experience, new ideas, and mutual cooperation help develop healthier, more diverse, and more appealing school meals, while also encouraging a more sustainable approach to food use.