Schoolchildren from across London will be selling their finest fresh produce at the iconic market today as part of a long-running food education initiative
Shoppers at London’s iconic Borough Market might notice fresh produce traders looking more ‘youthful’ than normal today as part of a scheme to help children connect with food.
Children from 12 primary schools across London will be on stalls to sell their finest fresh produce, grown from seed in schools, including dwarf French beans, lettuce, peas and radishes.
Pupils will be advised by Borough Market traders, including Sharon Crane from The Gated Garden, on how best to present and price their produce, manage transactions and drum up sales.
They will also be ready to chat with shoppers, marking their earliest experience of working in a busy environment with lessons in communication, teamwork and enterprise.
All proceeds raised will help provide meals for vulnerable families across London through Borough Market’s partner, food redistribution charity Plan Zheroes.
The Summer Sale event, which takes placed today (2 July), is the culmination of the Young Marketeers programme, run by Borough Market and food education charity School Food Matters.
“Food education is a vital life skill, and hands-on experiences such as growing and selling fresh produce can help children build a real connection with food and where it comes from,” said founder and CEO of School Food Matters, Stephanie Slater.
“For 15 years, our Young Marketeers programme has been giving children the chance to learn new skills, work as a team and take pride in what they’ve grown. Market Day is a celebration of the value of food education and a moment for enterprising young gardeners from across London to shine.”
Through the programme, children from boroughs including Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Hammersmith, Lambeth and Southwark gain hands-on experience of growing food, learn which fruit and vegetables are in season and discover how to run a successful market stall.
Over the last decade, more than 60,000 children have taken part in the scheme, raising over £15,000 for charitable causes.
Borough Market’s chair of trustees, Shane Holland, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming schools from across our London community to Borough Market for this year’s Young Marketeers Summer Sale.
“The pupils have worked incredibly hard to grow their produce and learn what it takes to run a successful market stall and we may well see some of them return as future traders.”
