School Zone
It's British Food Fortnight
Date Posted: 20 September 2014
It's British Food Fortnight
20th September – 5th October 2104
British Food Fortnight was held for the first time in Autumn 2002, and takes place during Harvest time and the Harvest Festival, the traditional time for celebrating our food, its aim is to encourage us all to enjoy eating fresh, seasonal British produce and regional British dishes and to learn all about their health benefits.
This year the theme is ‘Bringing Home the Harvest’ and it has the additional aim of helping children to discover all about our wonderful British Food.
Many schools are getting involved and teaching children how to prepare simple meals from fresh, seasonal ingredients as well as holding fun events and activities including:
Talks by top chefs, local butchers and producers
Fruit and vegetable tastings
Visits to farms and local allotments
Dressing up as farmers, green-grocers and bakers
Organising mini farmers markets in school halls
Holding Teddy Bear's Picnics and Mad-Hatters Tea Parties using local produce
Creating healthy and nutritionally-balanced lunchboxes
Designing cook books to raise school funds
To find out more about getting your school involved look on the British Food Fortnight Teacher Zone webpage, there you will find school/class resource packs including class activities, fun facts about food and recipe cards.
Nationwide there are lots of events being held including:
High Street Shops, Farm Shops and Delicatessens stocking British produce and holding tasting sessions and cookery demonstrations
Special social events in Care Homes for the elderly
Scrumptious British Food being served in Garden Centre Cafes
Patriotic Menus in Hospitals
Family Feasts in Children’s Centres
As well as food and drink festivals and country fairs
To find out more about what is happening in your area during British Food Fortnight click here.
If you want to celebrate British Food here are some things you can do during British Food Fortnight:
When you go shopping if possible buy only British Food – check the packaging to see where the food has come from.
Shop at local greengrocers, farm shops and markets – you can often find out about or even meet the person who has produced the food.
Buy food that is in season – see below
If you eat out choose a British dish using seasonal local fresh ingredients
Cook a British meal for friends and family
Pick and eat your own – If you don’t grow your own visit a ‘pick your own’ fruit and vegetable farm or go foraging in the hedgerows - click here for tips on Autumn Hedgerow Fruit Foraging.
Grow your own – Home grown and freshly picked food always tastes better, if local produce has inspired you to ‘grow your own’ have a look at the Gardening With Children website for information on how to get started and what you can grow/harvest in the garden month by month.
Why not buy British throughout the year and support our farmers, food producers and local food heros.
Here’s a taster of British produce that’s in season during British Food Fortnight
Vegetables
Aubergine, Beetroot, Broccoli, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Celery, Courgettes, Cucumber, Fennel, Garlic, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Marrow, Onions, Peppers, Potatoes (maincrop), Pumpkin, Radishes, Rocket, Sweetcorn, Turnips, Watercress, Wild Mushrooms
Fruit
Apples, Blackberries, Chestnuts, Damsons, Elderberries, Pears, Plums, Quince, Tomatoes
Meat
Beef, Chicken, Duck, Goose, Grouse, Guinea Fowl, Heather-fed Lamb, Partridge, Pork, Rabbit, Venison, Wood Pigeon
Fish and Seafood
Brill, Clams, Crab, Grey Mullet, Haddock, Halibut, John Dory, Lemon Sole, Lobster, Mackerel, Monkfish, Mussels, Plaice, Scallops, Turbot
So get out there, be inspired and enjoy what Britain has to offer.
