Students opened a restaurant for the day at at Ruswarp Church of England Primary School in Yorkshire, using seasonal vegetables grown in the school garden.

The pupils called their restaurant The Rhubarb and Nettle and their menu included Whitby Scampi, sausages made by the local butcher, school-grown mashed potatoes, freshly caught mackerel and a Foragers Salad, which consisted of ingredients grown at the school or by parents. 

The children had been inspired by British Food Fortnight and Friends of the Earth to do a project considering the economic and environmental costs of air miles and plastic bags. Their conclusion was to create a menu of locally sourced, British produce to show how easy it is to reduce one's carbon footprint. The children gathered their vegetables and collected their local sausages in100% fair-trade cotton bags, which they designed themselves.

Professional chef, Rob Green, had previously invited the pupils to his restaurant, Greens.  He had given them a tour of the kitchen and wine cellar and explained how to take orders and prepare ingredients.  He also took them to buy lobster at Whitby, which he then prepared and cooked.  As part of learning about sourcing produce, the pupils had a trip to Radford's, the school's local butcher, to see how sausages are made.

Mr Green, kindly came into Ruswarp School for the day The Rhubarb and Nettle was open to help the pupils and teachers create a fine dining experience for parents.  Eight hours of hard preparation meant that the pupils were exposed to all sorts of activity from laying the tables to making sauces, cutting, peeling, draining and seasoning. Pupils were allocated an array of tasks which culminated in plating the food and waiting on the guests.  From this experience, the pupils not only gained an insight into sourcing and cooking British food but also the invaluable skill of teamwork.  The pupils received a standing ovation for their efforts and the school was awarded gold in Yorkshire in Bloom because they had used ingredients they had grown themselves.

For more inspiring ideas about how to integrate British food into the Curriculum, see the Love British Food resource guide [click here to download Putting the Ooo! back into food]