BCGA and Elsoms have teamed up to offer prizes and an opportunity to visit a farm
A nationwide competition to encourage primary school children to grow, harvest and menu plan with carrots has been launched by the British Carrot Growers’ Association (BCGA) and Elsoms Seeds.
The School Carrot Growing Competition aims to inspire young people to increase their knowledge of growing food from seed to plate and encourage healthy eating and creative cooking.
The BCGA and Elsoms Seeds will jointly promote the competition to primary schools, providing resources on carrot growing and care, including recipes for after harvest, tips and tricks, and what they need to do to win the challenge.
Applications to schools are now open and will work on a first-come-first-served basis, attracting up to 20 schools across the country. The deadline to apply is 30 April and each successful applicant will receive their seeds and QR code with further guidance and resources shortly after submission.
To enter, schools must submit a carrot diary, three-course carrot menu, and a carrot harvest celebration photo, and the winning school team will receive a digital certificate to download, a £200 National Garden Gift Card, and a fully funded opportunity to visit a farm to meet with a farmer and discover more about growing carrots on a farm scale.
BCGA chair Rodger Hobson said: “The idea to run a schools’ carrot-growing competition arose following the success of our first-ever British Carrot Day, which now takes place annually on 3 October.
“We want to offer children a fun way to get curious about carrots – how to grow them and the many creative ways to eat and cook with them – be it sweet, savoury or simply to snack on. The taste, versatility and nutritional value of carrots are, I believe, the reasons they are one of the nation’s favourite vegetables.”
Martin Strickson of Elsoms Seeds added: “The objective is to increase national awareness of carrots as a British crop, particularly through encouraging children to get outdoors, increase their understanding of where their food comes from and get creative at mealtimes with carrots.
“Many commercial growers in the UK buy their seed from Elsoms Seeds and we wish to promote their varieties as reliable, fast germinating and fun to grow for school gardening.
“Together with the British Carrot Growers’ Association, we are creating a supportive, experiential learning experience to connect children with the environment, nutrition and to stimulate the joy of growing food.”
