ST JOHN’S C of E Primary
Now in its third year, St John’s Culture Café has become one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the school calendar. This May it was bigger and better than ever, transforming the school hall, playground canopy and a classroom into a bustling global food market for the afternoon!
Forty-four stalls, each run by a school family, represented a different country or culture, offering homemade tasters from around the world. Around 600 pupils, parents and community members came along, buying tokens to sample dishes spanning continents: Cuban fried plantain, Peruvian alfajores, Ukrainian pirogi, Taiwanese bubble tea and a Gambian baobab, along with Welsh cakes, Irish soda bread and Scottish Dundee cake and shortbread. There was food from every corner of the globe and something for every taste bud.
Proceeds were split between a charity supporting international education, chosen by the Year 6 School Council, and new multilingual resources for the school library.
Headteacher Justin Hoye said: “This is such a great opportunity to bring our school community together and celebrate the amazing diversity we have in our school. The food is so varied and delicious. Huge thanks to all our contributing families and to Mrs Laura Swithinbank for her supreme organisation.”
One pupil running the Italian stall shared the feeling: “It’s great for people to get together and spread the word about their culture. I really enjoyed making the food with my mum and running my stall, sharing pizza, pasta, fried dough with ham and mozzarella and a yummy Italian tart.”
Every dish was homemade by the families themselves, making each one a genuine reflection of the culture behind it. With 44 countries represented and barely a taster left by the end of the afternoon, St John’s Culture Café proved once again that food is one of the very best ways to bring our community’s varied background together!