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School chef wins Jamie Oliver award

BBC A bearded man - Russ Ball - wearing a bandana around his neck and an apron smiling in a kitchenBBC
Russ Ball has been the school's chef for three years

A school chef has been named The One Show's Rising Star as part of the Jamie Oliver Good School Food Awards.

With the help of his team, Russ Ball produces 330 nutritious school dinners a day for students at Pokesdown Primary School in Bournemouth.

He has also created a herb garden and runs workshops to teach the children where their food comes from.

Mr Ball said winning the award was "brilliant" and made him "feel very special".

Headteacher Alison Bayliss with long blonde-brown hair wearing a green blouse, smiling with a bookcase in the background in soft focus
The school's headteacher said Mr Ball was part of the school community

Headteacher Alison Bayliss said Mr Ball had "really thrown himself completely into it" since joining the school three years ago.

"He comes and does our fayres, committees, is there cooking the barbecue, doing our leaver services, our festive feasts," she said.

"He is really part of that community and so the parents are getting to know him and understand the passion he has for nutrition."

A group of Pokesdown Primary School children and teachers standing in a semi-circle around Mr Ball receiving his award
Mr Ball was surprised with the award at school

The One Show co-host and competition judge Jermaine Jenas went to Pokesdown Primary School to surprise Mr Ball and meet some of the children he inspired.

One pupil said he "makes lunch feel more fun", whilst another said the new school lunches had helped him try new food.

"If chef Russ hadn't come, I wouldn't have had the fish or any of the fish meals," he continued.

Another said she had more energy since the meals had improved.

A strawberry plant growing in a wooden planter, with a wooden spoon sticking out the soil saying with 'strawberries' written on it
Mr Ball wants to teach pupils where their food comes from

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said the award was "all about what is great".

"How do people people go above and beyond, how do they they fix the problems?" he said.

"Russ - he transformed the food, you can see the the energy from the kids and the appreciation from the teachers."

Mr Ball said education was a "big part" of what he wanted to do.

"We can really start to develop the gardening side of things and understanding the food they get on their plate, where it comes from," he said.

"It's inspiring. I get it back from them as well, it's really inspiring to me."

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