EXPERT help to cut food bills and still make delicious nutritious meals is clearly paying dividends for city families.

As the recession bites, parents on the pioneering Skilled 4 Health course now know the secrets to both saving cash in the supermarket and making sure their youngsters get their five-a-day.

As part of the 10-week scheme, mums and dads taking part have worked on recipes with chefs used to catering for thousands of hungry children.

The aim of the £50,000 Government-funded project is to boost health awareness among city residents.

The cash pays for free sporting and health activities run from St Luke's Science and Sports College but 70 parents and their children from all five city secondary schools and Southbrook College are taking part.

Those on the cookery strand of S4H are working with St Peter's school kitchen manager Isobel Western, who used to run her own restaurant, and Heather Hayes, a tutor from North Devon College. The ingredients are given free of charge every week. All meals cost just £5 for four people.

At the start of the course in October, many were novice cooks, but last week they showed off their new found food prowess as they prepared soup and apple crumble.

Annette Allinson, sons Zackary, nine, and Joshua, 11, and partner John Sherratt have been attending every week and make many recipes at home, too. The boys now help prepare dinner.

Annette, a teaching assistant, and John, an HGV driver, of Stoke Hill, Exeter, signed up after hearing about the scheme at a St Luke's settling-in evening for Joshua.

"We are really enjoying it. John has always been a better cook than me but the children are keen to help now," Annette said.

"Our meals have become more healthy and we have so many new ideas."

Dave Rockey, who recently retired, has taken over the cooking duties for his two children Joe, seven, and Beth, nine, as wife Ruth still works full-time.

The novice cook says he now feels much more confident about being in the kitchen.

"I think I'm getting quite good. I certainly know how to get vegetables into the children's diet now," he said.

"And this course is also great fun."

Isobel and Heather have also educated the class about food labels.