Day on farm teaches kids a fun lesson (From Swindon Advertiser)

Day on farm teaches kids a fun lesson

8:20am Friday 15th February 2013 in News

BUDDING young chefs got hands-on experience of making pizza during a visit to The Co-operative Farms’ Down Ampney estate.

The children from Red Oaks Primary School, Redhouse Way took a break from the classroom to learn about food and farming as part of The Co-operative’s From Farm To Fork project.

During the day, the youngsters learnt about the Down Ampney estate and the crops grown by The Co-operative Farms there.

They also had a hands-on session in how to make a healthy pizza from scratch using ingredients from Co-operative farms and food stores.

Lucy Ashcroft, The Co-operative Farms’ FF2F project leader at Down Ampney, said: “It was a fantastic day out for the children, who got the chance to make their own food and learn about how it is grown on Co-operative farms.

“It was great for them to learn about the benefits of healthy eating, as well as get hands-on experience of making pizzas and understanding the importance that wildlife plays in farming and putting food on our plate.”

The Co-operative has been farming at the Down Ampney estate, which grows oilseed rape and cereals, since 1918 and the children learnt about how crops are grown there and the products made from them.