No worries, just cooking!

During the Winter HAF programme, a  total of 39 organisations (33% of all Winter HAF providers) committed to delivering Hakuna Fruitata as part of their winter provision. Additionally, 27 organisations also committed to delivering Full of Beans within their HAF programmes, demonstrating strong alignment between the two offers.

Hakuna Fruitata is designed to give children and young people interactive, low-pressure experiences with fresh produce and food preparation. The programme creates a “no worries” environment where young people feel comfortable exploring food without judgement. This approach has been proven to:

• Increase confidence around food
• Develop practical food preparation skills
• Build the confidence and capacity of provider staff to deliver food-based activities

For Winter 2025, participating organisations had access to a comprehensive package of support, including:

• High-quality produce collection from Birmingham Wholesale Market
• Full of Beans funding for resources and an equipment grant to purchase an air fryer
• A 2-hour practical workshop delivered by students, featuring either Hakuna Fruitata or Full of Beans activities
• Let’s Talk About Food training, alongside a hands-on session preparing a Winter Vegetable and Bean Crumble

This blended offer ensured organisations were supported not just with ingredients, but with skills, confidence, and practical delivery tools.

A strong 80% of Hakuna Fruitata organisations shared detailed feedback on the wider impact of the programme on children, young people, families and provider organisations. Feedback consistently highlighted increased confidence, curiosity and willingness to try new foods, alongside wider ripple effects across other delivery touchpoints.

One provider reflected on the longer-term changes they observed:

“Over time, we have observed a noticeable increase in confidence, with children becoming more willing to try new foods and engage with ingredients they would not normally have access to or feel comfortable tasting.”

The impact was also powerfully captured through the voice of a participating young person following a practical cooking session:

“I didn’t know beans could be in pudding! I thought beans were only for dinner, but we mashed them and made a crumble and it smelled really nice. I told my mum I cooked it myself and she didn’t believe me. I want to make it again because it tasted sweet and I felt like a real chef.”

These insights demonstrate how Hakuna Fruitata not only builds practical food skills, but also supports pride, independence, and positive conversations about food within families. Even within a reduced-budget context, the programme delivered meaningful, confidence-building experiences with lasting impact across communities