Farmers back in school with healthy eating message

Two South Yorkshire farmers will be going back to school next week (Friday 30 January) on a mission to promote locally produced, healthy breakfast food.

The pair, who produce eggs and dry cured bacon, are donating just some of their produce to be cooked for a class of around 25 children at Lilly Hall Junior School, Maltby.

Mary Smith, from Wombwell near Barnsley and Nicola Randall from Marr Grange Pork Supplies, near Doncaster, are going into the school as part of the national Farmhouse Breakfast Week initiative, which aims to emphasise the importance of eating a healthy breakfast.

As well as cooking for the children, the farmers and staff from the NFU will talk to them about where food comes from and how it is produced.

As part of this, several fun activities are also planned. Children will not only be introduced to ‘Buttercup’, a working model cow that the children can milk, they will also get to try their hand at grading eggs.

Commenting, Mary Smith, said: “We are keen to encourage children to eat a healthy breakfast as a means of getting the energy they need for a day at school.

“We also want to promote just some of the fantastic regional foods produced here in Yorkshire.”

There will be lots of free colourful information booklets for the children to take away and teaching packs for the teachers to use back in the classroom. Finally there will be free recipe cards for the children to take home, featuring a range of regional recipes.

Commenting, Therese Coleman of the Home Grown Cereals Authority, who promote Farmhouse Breakfast Week nationally, said: “A good, healthy breakfast is vital for children, who can find it difficult to concentrate in class unless they get the nutrients they need every day to help the body and brain function more efficiently

“Research has also shown that breakfast eaters are more likely to feel cheerful during the day than people who go without.”