The Ministry of Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations hosted a cooking competition among Babonneau area primary schools last week, to promote healthy living and eating habits.

Ministry of Health Chief Nutritionist Lisa Hunte-Mitchel said that she was pleased that schools all used local produce to prepare their dishes.

“Some of the schools have backyard gardens where they got their produce and seasonings,” she said. “We would like to encourage all the schools in Saint Lucia—especially the primary schools to have school gardens that can aid with the school feeding program. They can use whatever they grow in the school feeding program to make it more sustainable.”

Competition Judge Nicos Anthony said he was impressed by the variety of dishes presented.

“The use of the local ingredients has been quite creative for the age group that I have seen, and there are some really wonderful agricultural projects and sustainable farming initiatives,” he said.

Fond Assau Primary beat out it competitors to nab the coveted title. Ms. Hunte-Mitchel said the school won on the basis of superior taste and creativity.

“They made burgers using vegetables, with eggplant as the main ingredient,” she said. “It was very tasty, quite unique and very versatile.”

The three other participating schools in the cooking competition were, La Guerre, Boguis and Babonneau Primary.