On Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th October, 100 children from 20 London primary schools* will be setting out their stalls and selling fruit and vegetables grown from seed at Borough Market’s Harvest Sale. In a welcome return to the live event which had to be held in the schools’ playgrounds during the pandemic, every £1 raised by the school children will provide six meals for vulnerable families across the capital.
The Young Marketeers programme, run as a partnership with campaigning food education charity School Food Matters, is now in its tenth year at Borough Market, and the Harvest Sale has seen 1,617 children taking their produce from seed to stall. To date, nearly 50,000 children from over 182 London schools have helped grow fruit and vegetables at their school to raise money for food distribution charities, FareShare and The Felix Project, providing almost 50,000 meals for those in need.
Borough Market traders shared their selling secrets with the budding stallholders and schools were supported with growing tips from experienced horticulturists. Borough Market’s traders’ top tips for being a successful stallholder can be seen here – from creating eye-catching displays to hygiene and customer relations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwq2M1pH1ig
The recent publication of the National Food Strategy highlighted the need for better food education. The strategy recommended a new Eat and Learn Initiative to reframe food education as a valuable subject in its own right. The experience of ten years of the Young Marketeers programme has demonstrated the value of learning about food production, cooking skills and sustainability.
“The project has really empowered the children and excited them about gardening. It has also taught them the value of good food,” said Pat Banton, Teacher, St Francis Catholic Primary School.
“Being able to give children the chance to connect with learning about where their food comes from is the biggest outcome, combined with entrepreneurship. It has been a great experience for the students,” said Holly Martin, School Gardener, Manorfield Primary School.
Star of Ready Steady Cook, British/Indian chef and food writer, Romy Gill MBE, is supporting the programme. Romy said: “Getting children involved in growing and cooking food from a young age is so important for their wellbeing. Many of the children involved don’t have gardens of their own, so being able to grow fruit and vegetables in their school and then learn how to cook with them and bring them to market are such valuable skills.”
Kate Howell, Communications and Engagement Director, Borough Market, said: “As a charitable trust that works for the benefit of the community, we think it’s important that children of all ages learn about produce, cooking and trading. Over the past decade, our Young Marketeers programme has given thousands of pupils the chance to enjoy learning about seasonality and food production by growing their own fruit and veg at school. By coming to the Market to sell the produce they’ve grown and the products they’ve made from it, many of these children have picked up other valuable skills, including cooking, marketing and selling. By giving them the opportunity to interact with customers and learn tips from our traders, we’re hoping to inspire the next generation of food entrepreneurs.”
Stephanie Slater, Founder and Chief Executive of School Food Matters, said: “For ten years, School Food Matters and Borough Market have provided a framework for schools to teach children about food, from seed to market stall. Local primary schools have grown over 45 different varieties of fruit and vegetables with great pride and enthusiasm. We want every child in every school to enjoy quality food education, so we support the National Food Strategy’s recommendation to launch an Eat and Learn initiative to reframe food education as a subject worthy of the same attention as English and maths.”
