Rural Affairs

Ashill, Barrington, Broadway,Chillington, Cudworth, Curry Rivel, Donyatt, Dowlish Wake, Fivehead, Horton, Ilminster, Ilton, Isle Abbotts, Isle Brewers, Kingstone, Puckington, Shepton Beauchamp, Stocklinch, Swell, Whitelackington

Taste The Harvest

800 children from 26 primary schools, 40 farmers, 9 Royal Navy cooks with a full field kitchen, 7 vicars, 6 chefs (including one with a Michelin star) and 50 other helpers descended on a farm at Staple Fitzpaine near Taunton in late September for Taste the Harvest. The 2-day event was organized by host farmers Mark and Julie Pope with church rural officer Rob Walrond. Each school class was guided around the event by a local farmer and had the opportunity to:

· Learn all about growing a wheat seed - from the days of ploughing with 2 horses up to modern day tractors equivalent to 150 horses - and all the modern machinery used

· Plant their own plot of wheat seeds which will be harvested next summer and milled, with the flour being returned to the school to cook with

· Learn about wildlife on the farm

· Work with top local chefs to peel and prepare vegetables, dig potatoes or make bread

· Sit down and enjoy a 3 course meal of local produce that they had helped to prepare

· Learn about, and taste, local food produced in Somerset

· Enjoy a time of lively harvest worship

Rob, Mark and Julie were very grateful to all the volunteers that gave their time to help. Rob added, “It was great that the children had the chance to learn about the whole story from the plough to the plate. We have already had a very positive feedback from the schools and are looking forward to maintaining contact through to the harvest and beyond”.

The children came from the following schools: Buckland St Mary, Churchstanton, Combe St. Nicholas, Thurlbear, Tatworth, Neroche, Curry Rivel, Hambridge, Kingsbury Episcopi, Hatch Beauchamp and Curry Mallet. The other schools were from the Taunton Deanery and nearer Bridgwater and the hosts of Taste the Harvest are particularly grateful to the Bridgwater Agricultural Society for funding the huge cost of transport. In October, the South Petherton Infants had a farm visit to a potato farm which was a great success.