Pupils at The Bromley Pensnett Primary School were treated to a visit from Michelin starred chef and TV personality Glynn Purnell.
Purnell, who is also a children’s author, stopped off at the school on June 30 to promote his latest book Arnold the Alpaca, which was published last year.
The Saturday Kitchen presenter read his books to the younger pupils whilst illustrator Ashley King demonstrated how he created the images for the book.
Older pupils engaged in an Aspirations Workshop during which Glynn explained how his dream of becoming a chef began at the age of 11 after he prepared beans on toast for his family. Adding chopped onion and curry powder to the traditional dish was a hit with his brothers and sisters and from that day Glynn knew what he wanted to do with his life.
A Year 6 pupil commented, “It was an amazing experience! We got to meet a real chef and learn about how he became so successful. He seemed really nice.”
The chef donated signed copies of the book to the school and gave prizes to pupils who had entered an Arnold the Alpaca themed art competition organised by the school.
Headteacher Justin Gray said, “Mr Purnell is an absolute gentleman. The children were enthralled by his reading of the book and our older pupils were inspired by the stories he shared about his life and career.
Our Aspirations Workshops are designed to encourage pupils to consider the type of futures they may wish to have and help them to understand that they too can succeed if they are prepared to work hard to achieve their dreams.”
Purnell, who grew up in Chelmsley Wood in Birmingham commented, “Ashley and I had a fantastic time visiting the Bromley Pensnett Primary School. I’d like to thank all the pupils for a wonderful morning of fun and laughter. We particularly enjoyed judging the art competition. We were blown away by all the entries and struggled to choose a single winner. Thanks go to all the pupils and staff for such a warm welcome.”
