Pupils’ winning entry celebrates Scottish food and environment

Primary 3 pupils from Leith Primary School in Edinburgh have claimed their prize of a special in-house cookery demonstration, provided by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), after winning a Scotland-wide competition.

The pupils entered the Eco-Schools Scotland ‘One Planet Picnic’ competition which aims to celebrate and enjoy Scottish food as well as encouraging whole-school action for the environment.

As part of their prize, Jennifer Robertson, QMS Health and Education Coordinator and qualified dietitian, visited the school to provide an interactive session with the children reinforcing the benefits of eating a balanced healthy diet and the important role red meat plays in it. Chef Fi Bird then took over the reins and delivered a tasty cookery demonstration where pupils had the opportunity to make and taste locally sourced minced Scotch Lamb and vegetable couscous and Scotch Beef steak wraps.

“I was extremely impressed with the pupil’s winning entry,” said Jennifer. “They obviously had a great time at the picnic as one of the pupils said it was the best day at school he had ever had!

“The picnic was held in the local park and included Scottish food such as pancakes and jam, sandwiches and their very own banana, strawberry and blackberry smoothies, which they designed bottle labels for.

“The importance of eating local, seasonal and ethically sourced produce was also highlighted at the picnic with pupils using banners to convey the message whilst wearing Fairtrade and Scottish headbands.”

Anna Hind, teacher at Leith Primary School said: “It’s great to see children getting excited about Scottish food and how it relates to environmental sustainability.

“One Planet Picnic stimulated work across the whole curriculum and made learning relevant and fun. The visit from QMS today was the icing on the cake of a great project.”

Carole Noble, Head of Operations, Keep Scotland Beautiful said: “Eco-Schools Scotland’s ‘Food and the Environment’ topic presents an opportunity for schools to develop or participate in food projects from the playground to the dining hall.

“We need our children and young people to better understand food, where it comes from and the impact it has on the environment.  The One Planet Picnic project and competition is a great way for schools to use school-grown or local produce, celebrate the harvest, and teach and learn about sustainable food choices in a very dynamic way.”