I first came across Eat Smart Sheffield when I moved to the city in January 2024. I was job-hunting at the time and looking for opportunities that aligned with my academic background and professional interests. Having recently completed my MSc thesis in August 2023, which focused on the factors influencing the uptake of school meals and the logistical challenges of making them part of a widespread Public Health strategy, I was eager to continue working in the intersection between nutrition and public health.

I had previously supported food-focused social enterprises such as Season Well, particularly during their council-lead Healthy Holidays programme, and so the ethos and approach of Eat Smart Sheffield – using schools as a hub for food education and public health promotion – resonated strongly with me.

After (finally!) reaching out to Lisa in April 2025, she kindly offered to meet to chat through potential opportunities to work together. It was during this conversation that I learned more about the work Eat Smart does across the city, including the opportunity for me to run two school-based sessions. Although I had experience supporting food education sessions in the past, this was the first time I had full responsibility for planning and delivering them independently. This included liaising directly with the school, calculating quantities for ingredients and equipment, and delivering the sessions on the day. The sessions took place at Hillsborough Primary School as part of their Wellbeing Day, where I led fruit kebab-making activities with the pupils.

The children were incredibly enthusiastic, and the sessions gave me a fantastic opportunity to put my skills into practice. I also had the chance to gather informal feedback from school staff and pupils and reflect on my own strengths and areas for development when delivering food education sessions.

Following the sessions, I met with Lisa again to learn more about the operational and strategic side of Eat Smart’s work. She talked me through the Food for Life framework, including how schools work through the different award levels and what’s required to meet each set of criteria.  We also discussed how Eat Smart evaluates its service, and how the programme is structured and funded across the city. It was particularly insightful to hear how a typical working week might look for someone coordinating a programme like this, and it gave me a clearer picture of what a career in school food policy and public health might involve.

Lisa also invited me along to a Sheffield Nutrition Workshop – attending this gave me valuable insight into the broader nutrition work being done by the Public Health team in Sheffield City Council. It also provided the chance to meet and network with other professionals working in the industry, helping me feel more rooted in Sheffield’s food systems community.

My experience with Eat Smart Sheffield has been incredibly valuable. It has given me the chance to gain hands-on experience in planning and delivering school-based food education, develop a better understanding of how such programmes are evaluated and funded, and connect with professionals across the nutrition and public health landscape in Sheffield.

I’ve recently started a new role as a Dietitian with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, and I know that the skills I’ve developed through working with Eat Smart – particularly around communication, education delivery, service evaluation, and local networking – will help me in this next stage of my career.

I’m grateful to Lisa for the opportunity to get involved and learn from their work – it has further confirmed my desire to pursue a career in school food and nutrition, and I look forward to seeing the programme continue to grow and make an impact across the city and beyond!