TEN Torbay schools have joined a £20million national cooking scheme designed to get children and parents into healthy eating.

The primary and secondary schools were selected to run the Government-sponsored Lottery-funded Let's Get Cooking project.

Five pupils from each of the schools met up yesterday at Westlands School in Torquay for the launch of the campaign.

Dave Cowling, assistant headteacher at Westlands said: "It was great to see all these children getting dirty in the kitchen and get involved in cooking."

The launch saw the children use kitchen facilities at the school and some of the ingredients and equipment paid for by Lottery funding.

Mr Cowling said the aim of the scheme was to encourage and teach children and parents to cook.

He added: "The idea is to give people simple but healthy menus so they can cook for themselves without opening a packet.

"It's about healthy food that is simple to prepare and affordable."

The funding from Let's Get Cooking will buy ingredients and equipment so families can cook with fresh and healthy ingredients when they may not have been able to afford it before.

Let's Get Cooking is a national event led by the School Food Trust. By 2010 the scheme will have signed up 5,000 school-based cooking clubs around the country.

The Torbay launch brings the total number of schools across the South West involved in the scheme to 324.

Natalie Greenslade, regional club coordinator for Let's Get Cooking, said: "It's brilliant that Torbay schools are so keen to get cooking and we are delighted so many local schools in the Bay signed up so quickly."

The schools involved in Torbay are Barton Primary School, Brixham Church of England Primary School, Coombe Pafford School, Hayes School, St Marychurch Church of England Primary and Nursery School, Warberry Church of England Primary School, Westlands School, White Rock Primary School, St Cuthbert Mayne School.

For more information about Let's Get Cooking visit www.letsgetcooking.org.uk