Royals British Royal Family Kate Middleton Shares Prince George and Princess Charlotte's Favorite Foods – and How They Help Cook! Kate learned about how food can affect physical and mental well-being during her visit to the Lavender Primary School in support of Children's Mental Health Week By Simon Perry Simon Perry Simon Perry is a writer and correspondent at PEOPLE. He has more than 25 years’ experience at PEOPLE covering the royals, human interest and celebrity. People Editorial Guidelines and Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit is a Royals Editor, Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 5, 2019 09:36AM EST Kate Middleton has plenty of help in the kitchen! The royal mom, 37, learned about how food can affect physical and mental well-being during her visit to the Lavender Primary School in support of Children’s Mental Health Week run by one of her charities, Place2Be, on Tuesday. The discussion led Kate to share some of her family’s food habits at home, including some top picks of her eldest children, Prince George, 5, and Princess Charlotte, 3. “Charlotte loves olives,” Kate told the school children. Her kids also help her cook, including their favorite “cheesy pasta” recipe. “She was telling us how much her children love cooking and how they cook for her,” Matthew Kleiner-Mann, chief executive of the Ivy Learning Trust, told reporters. “They made cheesy pasta the other day. One stirs the flour, one puts the milk and butter in. And they make salads and stuff.” He added, “Food is important to her and she understands the links between mental health and physical exercise.” Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage Kate Middleton. Chris Jackson/Getty Images The discussion on the subject at the Lavender Primary School included teacher Ashley McGrath’s Year 6 classroom, who were working on a “mood meter” to see how food can affect the body and mind. Kate participated in a conversation on how sugar can bring about a brief feeling of euphoria but then leads to a crash. “It’s interesting how food and energy and how you feel work together,” Kate said. “It’s amazing the connection between physical and mental well-being.” Kate Middleton. Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Kleiner-Mann, who introduced Place2Be to the school when he was head 13 years ago, said, “She was so engaging and was interested in how Place2Be fitted into the whole school community. She was wonderful with the children and was keen to speak to the parents about the whole helps with their mental well-being too. I introduced Place2Be to the school because I realized the important of counseling and mental well-being but didn’t have the wherewithal to do it myself.” He added, “The Duchess was really interested in how it worked, how Place2Be worked in a school environment and how it helps all children, not just those specifically having dealings with them day to day. She was very interested in our discussion about how food can change moods.” Kate Middleton. Chris Jackson/Getty Images In addition to revealing George and Charlotte’s chef skills, Kate brought another reminder of her family. While joining Ms. Monk’s Year 2 classroom, she took part in an activity where students shared objects that represent something that makes them feel good. She brought a picture of her family as her item! The photo she chose was their 2018 Christmas card, which marks their first holiday photo as a family of five thanks to the debut of Prince Louis, 9 months. “This is a photograph of my family. These are my children and this is my husband. And my family makes me feel happy,” Kate told the children. “And we like playing outside together and spending lots of time together as a family, and that makes me feel very happy.” She asked the youngsters, “Do you like spending time with your families? What do you like doing sometimes?”