No more junk diets for Rebecca

While her friends happily tucked into their burgers and chips at a party, Rebecca Doy picked at her food. Far from being a treat, junk food was a regular item on the menu at home."Growing up, my dad worked shifts so didn't really have the time to prepare a healthy meal," says Rebecca, aged 18, from Fordhouses.

"My mum also worked full time and didn't enjoy cooking, so we often used to have fast food like burger and chips, or takeaways."

As soon as she left school Rebecca enrolled on an NVQ food preparation and cooking course at Wolverhampton College and hasn't looked back.

"I could just about do beans on toast without burning it before I started the course," she says.

"I decided to enrol on the course because I've always been interested in how to prepare a healthy meal, and to learn more about food and the catering industry.

Gourmet

Rebecca says her parents love her new cooking skills and are always asking her to make them a nice healthy meal using fresh vegetables.

"I can now prepare a five course gourmet meal for a 40-seater restaurant," she says.

"I really enjoy the course and understand the importance of using fresh ingredients and the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.

"I encourage my family to eat healthier and use healthy ingredients."

Rebecca does her training at the City of Wolverhampton College's new Metro One campus in the city centre. It has its own Academy Restaurant which is open to the public and offers amazing meals at bargain prices. Three course lunches are £5 and evening menus are £10 per person.

Made famous recently by Gordon Ramsay's television series Hell's Kitchen, Academy Restaurants are culinary classrooms that allow would-be chefs the opportunity to learn their chosen trade.

In this case their coursework isn't just marked by a member of teaching staff, it's ordered and eaten by members of the public.

Samantha Francis, hospitality catering lecturer, says: "We have a lot of students coming to us without any basic cooking skills.

"Even if the students don't go on to become chefs then the course still sets them up for life and gets them into good eating habits early on.

"A lot of teenagers have eating disorders but it is because they don't know how to eat to look good and be healthy.

"Also, people don't know how long it takes to make something. If they think it will take hours to make a traditional meal they will just nip out to the take-away.

"But if they know it only takes 10 minutes to cook some pasta and vegetables it is actually easier - and cheaper - than getting junk food."

Progress

In his new show Jamie's Return to School Dinners - a follow-up to his original hit Channel 4 series on improving school meals - dad-of-two Jamie has branded most packed lunches "disgraceful".

Oliver launched his tirade at the TV programme looking at what progress has been made as a result of his Feed Me Better campaign. While filming, he found around 75 per cent of packed lunches were made up of "inappropriate" snacks, fizzy drinks, crisps and sweets.

He said eating chips and processed food in unhealthy school dinners "was the quickest way to heart disease".

Rebecca says: "I would encourage anyone leaving school to look at the NVQ food preparation and cooking courses as an option.

"You learn about a vast variety of food and all the different ways to prepare them.

"You will prepare a different four course meal each week for a restaurant full of people.

"To see your finished product in front of the customer and to hear their comments about your food is a huge reward in itself."

Popular stories:

• Video - John Richards' charity golf day

• McFly fans cause traffic mayhem

• Video - Jasper Carrott talks Blues

• Video - Wolves legends on current side

• Pets stolen for cruel dog fights