The East of England Agricultural Society Kids Country team has been hard at work this summer preparing for the annual return of its popular ‘Winter Warmer Soup Challenge’, as well as developing a brand-new event – ‘Autumn Apples and Pears’ - in a bid to educate British primary school children about food and farming.
Kids Country education manager Sandra Lauridsen said: “We have always believed that engaging with children about food, farming and the countryside is absolutely critical to shaping their decisions as adults, whether that’s what snack they might choose, what behaviour they might display when in the countryside, or even whether they might be the next combine harvester designer of the future.
'We are absolutely thrilled to be getting back out to schools and adding a brand-new half day event for October, our ‘Autumn Apples and Pears’, in response to increased demand from schools not just across Peterborough but also as far afield as London this year!”
The ‘Autumn Apples and Pears’ event, supported by Central England Co-operative, is a half day of activities and learning, including the history of British apples and pears, and chatting with British apple farmers to understand more about how they are grown in the UK and their nutritional benefits.
Returning in November, the ‘Winter Warmer Soup Challenge’ will once again be judged by MasterChef finalist, Simon Spooner.
Speaking after the 2020 Challenge, Spooner said: 'I loved being a part of the Kids Country Winter Warmer Soup Challenge this year. It was fantastic to see so many brilliant and tasty entries and that so many children and their schools are engaging with where their food comes from and the skills necessary to cook meals from scratch.'
Lauridsen added: “We really hope that schools will once again respond to the challenge to enter our ‘Winter Warmer Soup Challenge’ as it is a great way to get children cooking creatively and thinking about the best of in-season British produce, as well as the chance to win £200 for their school.
'Our ‘Autumn Apples and Pears’ is a new event but based on a bespoke event we ran last year for a primary school, which went really well, so we are sure schools will enjoy it this year!”
To book their place, schools should complete the entry forms at Events - Kids Country (kids-country.co.uk)
Kids Country is the East of England Agricultural Society’s education programme for children in Key Stages 1 & 2 (ages 5-11). The programme delivers hands-on learning experiences for children, based around food, farming and the countryside.
The East of England Agricultural Society has been at the forefront of championing agriculture and livestock for three centuries. With a rich history that dates back to 1797, the merger of five local agricultural Societies in 1970 saw the creation of the East of England Agricultural Society that we know today.
