Inspired by the range of local produce on their doorstep, budding young chefs from Seahouses Middle School in Northumberland took part in a week-long project to find out about the relationship between local producers and the food on their plate.

Pupils visited Northumberland producers Swallow Fish, of Seahouses and Sunny Hill Eggs, based at Detchant Farm near Belford. Swallow Fish is a long established family business, based at the last 19th century smokehouse in Seahouses village, where Patrick Wilkin traditionally smokes Salmon, Herring, Haddock and Cod caught from local waters. The fish are smoked using only natural oak chips without any additives or colourings throughout any part of the process. Sunny Hill Eggs are 100% free range. The hens have a spacious field together with a large state of the art shed, which allows the hens to roam freely, relax and socialise.

After visiting the producers, the pupils had the opportunity to cook a meal in the kitchen at Seahouses' Bamburgh Castle Inn. Pupils made fishcakes with homemade tartare sauce using local produce. David Barella, Head Chef at The Bamburgh Castle observed “It's been great to get the children thinking about the food they were cooking and eating. As well as having a go themselves, they got to see what happens in a professional kitchen when a food order comes in, how we construct dishes and the ingredients we use.”

Teachers Jane Patterson and Annette Monelly from Seahouses Middle School hope that the project will increase the children's local food awareness and enable them to understand how produce from their area can be an essential ingredient in attracting tourists. As Jane Patterson says, “We are very fortunate to live in an area teeming with unbeatable food and drink. With the sea on one side and varied farm and grasslands on the other, Northumberland has a unique array of fish, meat, vegetable and grain produce. We felt it was important to make the children aware of the culinary heritage we have here, as well as its importance as a visitor draw. Through the project, children have been discovering more about the benefits of local food, learning how it is made or grown and how, by buying and using it as consumers, they are helping the local economy.”

The children will complete their project by producing a cookery booklet featuring recipes championing local produce. Copies of the booklet will be available to buy at Seahouses Tourist Information Centre.

For details about how your school could organize a similar activity and take part in this year's British Food Fortnight [click here]
For more inspiring ideas about how to integrate British food into the Curriculum have a look at the Love British Food resource guide Putting the Ooo! back into food [click here]