Children from 12 London primary schools will bring their school-grown produce to Borough Market this Thursday as part of School Food Matters’ Young Marketeers Harvest Market Day.
From 11am to 1.30 pm on Thursday 1 October, young market traders will set up stalls at Borough Market, bringing the fruits of months of growing to one of London’s best-known food markets. Children from eight London boroughs will put their gardening, teamwork and enterprise skills into practice as they meet shoppers, talk about the produce they have grown and experience what it takes to run a market stall.
Young Marketeers is a food education programme run by charity School Food Matters, giving children the opportunity to grow food, learn where it comes from and develop practical skills through hands-on outdoor learning. Now in its 15th year, the programme is delivered in schools across England.
Visitors to the Young Marketeers Harvest Market Day can expect to find a colourful display of school-grown produce, with salad, beans, herbs, chard, beetroot, pea shoots, broccoli and tomatoes among the seasonal vegetables on offer.
The children have been supported throughout the programme by School Food Matters’ food educators and gardeners, alongside Borough Market traders, who have shared their expertise on growing, presenting and marketing fresh produce.
The Harvest Market Day will also raise money for food redistribution charity Plan Zheroes. Since Young Marketeers first came to Borough Market in 2011, children have raised more than £16,450 for charitable causes. Plan Zheroes works with Borough Market traders to redistribute good-quality surplus food to charities and community organisations across London, helping to prevent good food from going to waste.
Stephanie Slater MBE, Founder and Chief Executive of School Food Matters, said:
“Food education is a vital life skill and hands-on experiences like Young Marketeers give children the chance to learn by doing. They’ve grown this food from seed, learnt new gardening and enterprise skills and now they’re ready to bring their produce to one of London’s best-known markets. Harvest Market Day is a brilliant celebration of food education and a chance for these young gardeners to shine.”
Bethan Davies, Head of Communications and Marketing at Borough Market, said:
“The Young Marketeers sales are our favourite days at Borough Market. It’s so special for us to be able to see the students bring their enthusiasm and joy to the market floor as they sell their wares. The work we do with School Food Matters is part of our bigger mission to share the expertise and skills of our traders with the younger generation, to inspire them and hopefully create some brilliant future business owners and producers.”
The Young Marketeers Harvest Market Day will take place at Borough Market on Thursday 1 October 2026, from 11am to 1.30pm. Members of the public are invited to come along, meet the young market traders and support their efforts.
