EMYOFF supports the Foods from Farm to Fork challenge

Education Business Partnership (EBP) Lincolnshire and Rutland and East Midlands Year of Food and Farming (EMYOFF) team up to launch Foods from Farm to Fork

Food Technology Teachers from Schools across Rutland, including Vale of Catmose, Uppingham Community College and Casterton Business and Enterprise College attended the launch of Farm to Fork at Barnsdale Lodge Hotel, Thursday 1st May. Farm to Fork is a competition aimed at Year 9 and 10 students, they must plan and prepare a main course and pudding for Primary School children, using locally sourced produce, with a budget of £2 per head.

The final will take place on 21st November at Barnsdale Lodge Hotel, the judges will include most importantly children from the Primary feeder Schools, Jo Winterbourne, Senior Education Business Advisor, EBP, Sally Scantlebury, EMYOFF coordinator, Ed Burrows, Manager of Barnsdale Lodge Hotel, and a local celebrity (TBC watch this space!).

Local food specialists were represented at the launch by Jan McCourt of Northfield Farm, Bev Davis of Greenacre Farm shop and Trevor Pattinson of Hambleton Fine Foods, they offered their support to the schools, and gave ideas of how they could help the students with this project. Barnsdale Lodge have offered free use of their kitchen facilities for the final.

The Challenge was set by The Lincolnshire & Rutland EBP to encourage students in Rutland to think about where their food comes from and consider the benefits of locally sourced produce. Jo Winterbourne, Senior Education Business Adviser of The Lincolnshire & Rutland EBP commented "We are delighted to be involved in this challenge, especially considering that healthy eating and local produce is such an important issue at the moment. This challenge gives students the opportunity to evaluate how ethical their food is and also encourages a younger generation to think in the same way.

East Midlands Year of Food and Farming, have a wealth of information of local farmers and producers who will help the schools with the project, "We are excited about sponsoring this initiative" explained Sally Scantlebury, "The teachers are already planning how they can use our funding to facilitate this activity, they can arrange producer visits, plant their own vegetables and obviously practise preparing their menus"