Walsall schoolgirl to have unique dessert rolled out in canteens across the country
Khalessi McKay was chosen as the winner of a national competition by JLS' JB Gill
Last updated 22nd Jul 2026
A schoolgirl from Walsall will have her unique desert rolled out in school canteens across the country after winning a competition.
10-year-old Khalessi McKay has been chosen as the winner of Tesco's nationwide Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge – a competition designed to inspire children to get more adventurous with fruit and vegetables.
Her winning recipe, The Swamp Monster’s Crunchy Eyeball Jelly impressed judges with its creativity, flavour and use of fruit and vegetables, and will now be available to more than 1,500 school canteens across the UK.
Khalessi told us she chose to include blueberries, kiwi and cucumber because they are "really colourful".
She was chosen as the winner by farmer and TV personality JB Gill who went to Pinfold Street Primary School to present her with her prize.
As the national winner, Khalessi was given the opportunity to bring her recipe to life alongside JB, with the final recipe being rolled out across schools nationwide throughout July and featuring on the Tesco Real Food website.
Khalessi said: "I wanted to make something different from everyone else's, so I came up with Swamp Monster's Crunchy Eyeball Jelly.
"I picked kiwi, blueberries and cucumber because they're some of my favourite fruits and vegetables.
"I was really shocked and amazed when I found out I'd won.
"It was really fun making my recipe with JB Gill, and it's amazing to think that children all over the country will be able to try it."
Toni Beech, Headteacher at Pinfold Street Primary School, added: “To not only take part in the competition but for one of our own to be named the winner is an incredible achievement and one that our children, staff and wider school community are immensely proud of.”