Young food producers sell homemade goods at Whole Foods

Some of Fulham and Chelsea’s youngest food producers set up stalls at Whole Foods last week to sell their homemade products.

Primary school students became market traders for a day, selling tasty homemade chutneys and jams at Whole Foods Market in Fulham Broadway, Fulham, last Wednesday.

The schools taking part included All Saints CE Primary School in Bishops avenue, Fulham, Avonmore Primary School, in Avonmore Road, Kensington, Chelsea Academy in Lots Road, Chelsea and Greenside Primary School in Westville Road in Hammersmith.

Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham, Greg Hands, attended the event and bought some of the kid’s special chutney.

The event is part of Schools to Market, a programme run by the charity School Foods Matters in partnership with the Whole Kids Foundation.

With the help of expert gardeners and food teachers, Schools to Market gives children the opportunity to experience cooking and growing at school.

The free programme for schools also sees children visiting a farm, where they pick fresh ingredients.

Children from four participating schools sell a range of tasty chutneys made with onions, carrots, rhubarb, apples, strawberries and more, putting the marketing training they’ve had into practice.

All the money raised from the sale will be kept by the schools to put towards more cooking and growing projects.

School Food Matters Partnerships and Programmes Officer Rachel Copus said: “Now in its 11th year, Schools to Market is a fantastic programme that teaches children all about the journey of their food from seed to supermarket.

“Through growing, cooking and selling their own food, children learn vital life-long skills and reconnect with nature. One of the pupils described their farm visit as ‘going into a different world’.

“Clearly, this programme is vital for children’s health and happiness.”

School Food Matters aims to improve children’s access to healthy, sustainable meals during their time at school.

In a 2022 survey of children taking part in Schools to Market, 72 per cent said they learned something new about where food comes from, and 76 per cent said they picked up a new cooking skill.

Also, 70 per cent of children said they want to continue growing fruit and vegetables in the future.

Pictured top: Students from Chelsea Academy selling their jams and chutneys at Whole Foods Market on Wednesday (Picture: School Food Matters)