PUPILS at Neston Primary School kneaded no encouragement to get their hands mucky during a visit by a top baker.

Donning their special aprons and mop caps, the eight and nine-year olds were shown how to make the perfect load by expert baker Paul Graves from Roberts Bakery.

Paul who has worked for Roberts for 34 years, guided the 26 year four children through the process of mixing, kneading and shaping the dough to create a tasty loaf.

He said: “The run up to the summer holidays is the perfect time to inspire youngsters to roll their sleeves up and have a go at making their own bread.

“The children learnt that it’s easy and fun to make a tasty loaf of bread from just a few in ingredients. Some children don’t get the chance to bake at home, so this visit has given them new baking skills and the confidence give it a try.”

The visit from the Northwich-based bakery formed part of the year four pupils’ DT curriculum where the children have been looking at how materials and ingredients change.

The youngsters have also been learning about and tasting bread from other countries as part of their project.

Annabel Elliott, deputy head teacher at Neston Primary School, said: “This was a superb visit and the children were really excited to meet Paul and learn his expert baking techniques.

“It was a great experience for them to make a loaf that looked and smelled so delicious and to learn about how a successful local manufacturing business works. It was terrific to integrate this into the curriculum and the children have built on many of their skills.”

Paul also shared the history of Roberts Bakery, which is 130 years old, and explained where the ingredients in bread come from, how bread is manufactured on a large scale and how it reaches supermarket shelves.