Over 350 primary schoolchildren from across East Anglia this week attended an industry-backed Grow Your Own event to harvest produce they had planted three months earlier.
In March of this year, the East of England showground was the host for the initial planting event, organised by the East of England Agricultural Society’s Kids Country programme.
When they returned this week, the children dug up potatoes, beetroots, carrots and lettuce, and listened to talks from local farmers on how produce is sorted and packaged before it is sold.
The children then made potato salads and tasted their homegrown produce, before taking some away to share with families. Other activities included a produce weigh-in to determine the winners of the ‘Student Grower of the Year’ and ‘Overall School of the Year’ awards – both won by pupils of Woodston Primary School, Peterborough.
Produce suppliers backing the event included G’s Fresh, Albert Bartlett, My Fresh and Produce World.
Guy Thallon, head of research, development and innovation at Produce World, said: “It was fantastic to see the children so excited about the produce they had grown, each year the yields seem to get better and better.
“At Produce World we want to inspire children to learn about where their food comes from, and education days like the Kids Country Grow Your Own Potatoes event go a long way in achieving this.”
