Gary MacLean Visits St Columba's High School’s Cook School

That the Parliament recognises that Scotland’s first ever "national chef", Gary MacLean, visited St Columba’s High School in Gourock to celebrate the success of its Cook School, which is bringing families together in the kitchen; understands that the school's new home economics teacher, Lynsey Mitchell, shares a passion with Gary for good food and that the Cook School has been hailed as a way of using food to keep young people on a healthy path; appreciates that Gary shared the secrets of his sausage risotto recipe at the special cooking class; notes that the aim of the Cook School is to help families to develop a healthy relationship with food by preparing tasty meals together, and that Lynsey uses her after-school club to help develop a taste for nutritious food and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers in the future; commends the Cook School project, which originally started with just three pupils but, by the end of the seven-week block, had nine pupils cooking for their parents at the school’s festive dinner event; believes that Gary, in his role as national chef, is inspiring people of all ages to get creative in the kitchen and learn that eating healthy foods is not only good for us but is also tasty, and wishes the Cook School every success going forward.