The schools were tasked with creating a healthy, nutritious and creative three-course menu using at least five ingredients that they had grown themselves from a single wheelbarrow. These could include vegetables, fruit, herbs, salad crops or cereals, but this year needed to include at least one type of bean.
The winning menu featured a ‘beans on toast’ starter of sourdough bruschetta with peas and broad beans, topped with burrata cheese and a radish, tomato and herb topping. A bean and beetroot-based rainbow burger with baby sweetcorn and green beans was the school’s winning main, with a strawberry crumble for dessert.
Kerry Pochin, headteacher at Inglehurst Infant School said: “The grow your own grub competition was a brilliant opportunity for our children to learn about where food comes from, how to grow it sustainably and how to look after the plants.
“We are extremely grateful to Aimee, our parent volunteer, who supports events like this by leading our gardening club. It was wonderful that city catering were able create the meal from our menu for our school dinner as part of the celebration. The children had a wonderful time.”
Fellow competitors were invited to Inglehurst Infant School to sample the winning menu at a celebration lunch and prizegiving. Inglehurst Junior School and St Patrick’s Catholic Voluntary Academy were named as the runners-up. All the winning schools received prizes of garden centre vouchers.