Oldham primary school children served us up with all manner of pumpkin treats last week as they competed to produce displays and a pumpkin recipe that will end up on the school’s Autumn menu. The winning school will be visiting local suppliers Moss Brook Growers, to see where their pumpkins come from.
The completion was part of Kindling and Manchester Veg People’s work to get local organic veg served up in schools, hospitals and care homes across Greater Manchester. Oldham is taking part in our Sustainable Fayre pilot, which offers institutions such as schools a local supply and practical support in creating seasonal, local menus that come within existing budgets.
Over the last few weeks groups of children from all over the borough have been working with the school chef and a teacher, to come up with a pumpkin carving design and a delicious pumpkin recipe to be eaten in school as part of the Autumn menu.
The resulting carvings ranged from spooky faces (one with pumpkin stalk horns and a mouth spewing out pumpkin flesh and seeds - brilliant!), to a dove with a lit up glittery inside, to an Owl - the symbol of Oldham. The recipes were also creative and varied – including spicy pumpkin soup, pumpkin biscuits, colourful cup cakes, and pumpkin and pea samosas.
The effort that everyone put in was so amazing that it was almost impossible for Manchester Veg People’s Katie and Kindling’s Helen to choose 1st , 2nd and 3rd displays (luckily there were two other judges to help us decide!).
But choose we did - a very deserving Burnley Brow came in 3rd place, St Hilda’s in 2nd and St Hughs C of E primary school were given 1st place for their display, carving and recipe. Their beautiful and spooky village scene and different designs all the way round the pumpkin was co-ordinated by Art teacher Diane Taylor, and the delicious recipe for pumpkin and apple cinnamon buns was invented by Jackie Russell the school chef (and tried out by the children on a number of occasions!).
On hearing that they’d won a trip to meet Moss Brook Growers at their farm, the children: Kayla (year 6) Zahra (year 4), Ali (year 5) and Jack (year 4) said they were ‘very proud and pleased to have won’ and ‘really excited about the idea of visiting the farm where some of the veg that they eat is grown’. Kayla said she’d hadn’t liked the thought of eating pumpkin before, but after tasting Miss Russell’s Pumpkin and Apple Cinnamon buns she likes pumpkin now!
The group will be visiting Moss Brook Growers to see where the organic leeks, kale and squash that they’ve been eating over the last few months is grown, and to meet the growers who produce it – and maybe get to do a bit of harvesting themselves.
Chefs, children and teachers in Oldham have been cooking and eating local organic veg supplied by Manchester Veg People since summer term last year, when they also achieved Food for Life Gold standard catering mark. To be part of this pilot, supporting the public sector to make their menus more sustainable, contact helen@kindling.org.uk