From 30 July to 1 August 2025, Daugavpils University in cooperation with The Municipality of Ludza County, organised an international recipe laboratory “The School Kitchen Lab”, which took place as part of the “SchoolFood WasteSolutions” project (Interreg Central Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021-2027).

At the workshop in Ludza, chefs from pilot schools, industry experts and representatives of the project team from Latgale and the Tartu region came together to experiment with recipes from the Swedish cookery book “Nära mat till många gäster” (authors: Katarina Averås, Øyvind Lund, Tin Wigelius). The book is a joint project between the chefs of the Karlstadt schools and producers in the Swedish Vermland, where the chefs created healthy and innovative recipes by visiting farms and familiarising themselves with local raw materials. In June, during an exchange of experiences in Karlstadt, each participant received this cookbook as a gift and the idea was born to set up a laboratory-like workshop in Ludza to adapt the recipes to the catering needs of Latvian and Estonian schools.

Over three days, 17 recipes were tried out, which the project experts – food technologist and nutritionist Dzintra Kokta ( Daugavpils University) and nutritionist, chef and lecturer Triin Muiste (Association of Municipalities of Tartu County, Estonia) – adapted, taking into account the catering environment and the regional context of the partner schools. Original recipes from experts were also included. The workshop participants cooked dishes together, experimented with flavours and made recommendations for improving the recipes so that they could later be integrated into the school canteens’ menus. Getting to know each other and exchanging experiences between the teams of chefs from Latgale and the Tartu region was particularly valuable.

During the event, the participants attended lectures on the experience of Swedish school catering and the most common mistakes in preparing menus and how to avoid them, as well as an excursion to the farm “Kotiņi” – one of the largest and most modern seed producers in Latvia, specialising in breeding, growing and processing high-quality cereals and pulses. The event highlighted opportunities for collaboration between local producers and schools to promote a sustainable approach to catering.

The School Kitchen Lab workshop became a platform for international collaboration where participants shared knowledge, ideas and practical skills to jointly promote the introduction of healthier and tastier food in schools while reducing food waste. In particular, the important role of school cooking teams for the quality of children’s meals and for a sustainable environment was emphasised.

Daugavpils University would like to thank the director of Ludza City Secondary School Gunārs Strods and the school’s team of cooks for the hospitable welcome and all project participants for their active participation during the three days.

The workshop workbook with the recipes used during the activity, ingredients, cooking steps and nutritional information can be downloaded here:
Recipes in Latvian
Recipes in English

This project is co-financed by the European Union. The Interreg Central Baltic Programme 2021-2027 promotes cross-border cooperation to tackle common challenges and build a more sustainable, innovative and inclusive Central Baltic Sea Region. Website of the programme: https://centralbaltic.eu

 Official website of the European Union: www.europa.eu

Contact information:
Rita Ivanova
Daugavpils University
Senior Project Manager
e-mail: rita.ivanova@du.lv
tel. 29857838

This article has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. Daugavpils University is fully responsible for its content. It should in no way be regarded as an official position of the European Union.