Cal Byerley – chef-owner of Michelin-starred Restaurant Pine – teamed up with one of the restaurant’s specialist growers – Dan Clark – for a visit to Wylam First School as part of its first Foodie Fortnight.
During their visit, the Pine duo chatted with pupils about the school’s allotment project, their favourite foods, seasonal growing, composting, and lots more. They also provided pupils with an insight into the dishes they could create with fresh produce from the allotment and shared some tips ahead of the pupils’ Tiny Tasters cookery sessions – which will see each year group harvest crops and create healthy seasonal dishes.
Cal and Dan also donated several edible plants to the allotment, including lemon verbena, which they helped a group of year four pupils plant.
The school has a long-standing interest in food and sustainability, having previously established a community orchard group – which led to the planting of 85 fruit trees in 2011 including 25 varieties of apple along with pears, cherries, plums, crab apples and damsons. This was followed by the establishment of an extensive wildflower meadow covering 1.6 acres within the school grounds, and the creation of the allotment in 2020.
“It’s really important to encourage the next generation to think about food, where it comes from, how it’s grown and how it’s cooked,” said Cal. “We’ve all got to play our part in reducing food miles and supporting our local food economy, and one of the best ways of doing that is providing youngsters with the information and skills to be able to make informed decisions for themselves. Involving pupils in the whole growing cycle not only equips them with invaluable skills, but it also encourages them to live healthy and active lives as they develop into future adults.”
Headteacher Jill Dodds added: “Our children love being outside. Mrs Gibbon created the allotment, which provided us with the perfect opportunity to create a bespoke curriculum. With the support of Paul Mordue from Wild About Adventure, each year the children move through the school with a different responsibility for the allotment. From early years planting and tending to seed, to year four harvesting the produce and leading our Harvest Festival. This opportunity to work with Pine and the Wylam First Foodie Fortnight, planned and run by our amazing PTA, enriches the children’s understanding of where food comes from and what it can be made into. We are very thankful to the team from Pine for taking time out of their busy schedule to come and visit us – and we would love to visit them and see them in action.”
