Gloucestershire potato grower Graham Nichols teamed up with TV cook and food writer Sophie Grigson to get this year’s Grow Your Own Potatoes project officially underway.
This marks the start of this year’s initiative, which will be the largest ever, with 375,000 pupils registered to take part.
A planting and cooking day was held at the Kids Cookery School in Acton, following Potato Council research that showed just one in four children are now regularly taught to cook either at home or in school.
The day was intended to highlight the importance of learning about where food comes from, but also the need to equip children with valuable skills for life.
Nichols, a Potato Council board member from Home Farm in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, met Year 5 pupils from Berrymede Junior School, Ealing, where they learnt how to plant and care for their potatoes.
The children planted their very own Rocket and Vales Emerald seed potatoes.
Nichols said: “This is a really great project for young children and one that I’m delighted to be a part of. The hands-on activity is the best way to filter information through to young children - and of course, it’s a fun learning experience. It is particularly rewarding to see youngsters from schools in large towns and cities getting their hands mucky as they learn what is involved in planting and growing their own potatoes.”
Grigson then demonstrated to the pupils how to make a range of simple, nutritious dishes from potato wedges to mash. She said: “Teaching children to cook can be great fun for both parents and children. Cooking has always been one of those things that mums taught their children - this was, and is, certainly the case in my family.
“Everyone should know how to make simple dishes like a baked potato or Shepherd’s pie - appetising and economical, but easy to make. I would encourage all parents to find the time to help their children learn to cook.”
Nearly 99 per cent of adults believe that children should be taught to cook simple meals and dishes either at home or at school, but a fifth of mums admit to rarely or never teaching their children to cook.
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