English apples and pears for breakfast at school before lessons gets underway has proven a hit at Green Acre High School in Walderslade, Kent, following a joint initiative by grower Adrian Scripps Ltd and category manager Richard Hochfeld Ltd.
The school’s Breakfast Club was supplied with top fruit over a four-week trial period, which was handed out to boys arriving at 7.30am for a sports activity, such as karate or table tennis, before they sit down to cereal and fruit.
It is hoped that the success of the scheme will lead to additional funding to allow the Breakfast Club to become permanent.
Kerry Searle, who has pioneered the scheme at Green Acre, said: “At present, it has had a small amount of sponsorship. We have been very surprised at how popular the fruit has been, both at the club and with other pupils.”
She added that pupils were constantly knocking on her office door to ask for fruit.
Richard Brewer, technical manager for Richard Hochfeld Ltd, and James Simpson, managing director of Adrian Scripps Ltd, joined one of the early morning sessions to deliver English Gala, Comice and Kanzi.
“This is an excellent initiative that we are very pleased to support and be associated with it,” said Brewer. “There is obvious enjoyment from both the activities and the breakfast.”
Simpson added: “It would appear to be an issue of availability. When children are offered apples and pears they are always very popular. We are particularly very pleased with the popularity Kanzi.”
The highly coloured Gala-Braeburn cross, which is being commercially marketed for the first time in the UK this season, has already received a boost through a substantial PR campaign aimed at consumers.
"The indications are that it has been successful so far, based on the response," Simpson reported. "We sent out more than 100 samples to journalists and had some very positive feedback.”
The variety is sold exclusively by Tesco, although others retailers have been taking an increasing interest.
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