Grow Your Grub Competition

After a very successful pilot project in 2008, Leicester City Council Parks and Green Spaces teamed up with City Catering staff to invite Primary schools within the city to enter the third annual ‘Grow Your Grub’ competition 2010. This is the third consecutive year the competition has run.

The aim is to encourage young people, parents and teachers to take an interest in gardening, as the general consensus is that everyone can benefit from living a greener lifestyle. This project offers links to the national curriculum well as many subjects can be taught through the use of a school garden. In addition, the competition raises awareness of other topics, such as healthy eating, organic growing and the environment.

Competition rules

To participate in the competition, the school has to design and grow a three-course meal. The school is not expected to cook the meal, only to grow the core elements such as vegetables, fruit and herbs.

The menu and produce are judged on creativity, nutritional value, condition of the crop, use of environmentally friendly methods and presentation.

The 12 schools that took part in the pilot were selected as they already had established gardening clubs and growing areas. The 2008 and 2009 competitions were a huge success and culminated in a visit by Lord Rooker, minister for sustainable food, farming and animal health, who awarded prizes to the winning school. The winning school eventually cooked the winning menu.

Prizes for this year’s competition include a trophy, gardening vouchers, and the prestige of having the winning menu prepared by catering staff and served at every primary school in the city during a lunchtime in September.

Twenty three schools in 2009 participated in the competition and were given a starter pack of seeds and a fruit tree to help them on their way.

Positive outcomes

The ‘Grow Your Grub’ scheme’s positive outcomes are manifold. Firstly the competition ties in with the school curriculum. There is also some evidence to suggest that the pupils that take part also use the garden as an outdoor classroom, as many projects can be linked the garden project. For example science, technology, health and the environment.

David Mee, Systems Manager, Parks and Green Spaces of Leicester City Council says:

“It is great for me to have the chance to get into the open environment away from my desk and judge the ‘Grow Your Grub’ competition once a year.

Mr Mee adds:

“This project has allowed schools to focus on related health issues, such as childhood obesity and healthy eating. It is well recognised that gardening is beneficial to health both physically and mentally and therefore projects that promote gardening and encourage an interest in these types of activities will have direct health benefits.”

A helping hand

Mr Mee points out that early in the competition it became apparent that not all teachers are budding gardeners, so Leicester City Council organised a series of seed sowing workshops for teachers, which were well received. In time for next year’s 2011 ‘Grow Your Grub’ competition the seed sowing workshops will continue to be held accompanied by planting videos available on the web, which will be used as a teaching aid that both pupils and teachers alike can practically use to sharpen their seed sowing skills.

Forest Lodge Primary School in New Parks, Leicester was the 2008 winners of Grow Your Grub.

Hannah Briers, 9, who was among the winning cohort of pupils told the Leicester Mercury:

“Food tastes so much better when you’ve grown it yourself, particularly when it’s organic and you’ve grown it yourself…we’ve been out there on boiling hot days and rainy cold days but it’s all very satisfying.”

Lord Rooker, the minister for sustainable food and farming and animal health, who has been involved with the project from the outset said:

“It is vital we teach young people about the origins of their food and how things grow. The teachers and children at all the schools involved in this competition should be very proud.”

Audrey Muwandi, 10, added:

“We served him [Lord Rooker] tomato and basil soup, stuffed marrow and beetroot and apple salad and strawberry sorbet. It is really great as it gives us ideas of what to do in our own gardens.”

For further details on the competition contact David Mee.

Contact

David Mee, Systems Manager,
Parks & Green Spaces
Leicester City Council
0116 2914486