TV chef helps market celebrate food with school pupils

A market attacked by terrorists in June is staging a celebration of food from four
continents with TV chef Ursula Ferrigno.
Primary school pupils have made breads, cakes and pastries inspired by their
cultural heritage for the first Celebration Sale on Thursday.
Borough Market wanted to launch a positive initiative which celebrates the
different communities living in London.
Italian food writer and cook Ferrigno has been working with the children, tasting
her homemade recipes and exploring different herbs and spices to use in their own creations.
The budding bakers also toured the market, talking to traders about why food is such an important part of their heritage, and listening to the stories behind the products that they sell.
The children’s cultural backgrounds include those from Ethiopia, Ghana, Finland, France, Italy, Kosovo, Poland, Russia, the Caribbean, Mexico and India.
Children from the Charles Dickens Primary School, in Toulmin Street, near the Borough High Street market, have made Ethiopian bread, Kosovan cottage cheese parcels, Jamaican fruit cake and Northern Italian spiced ginger biscuits.
Rosie Boycott, chairwoman of the London Food Board,  said: “Getting to know and appreciate the cultural backgrounds of our neighbours is key to building better connected communities and improving social integration. Teaching children about their cultural heritage through food is an exciting way to bring alive the diversity of London’s communities and this is a wonderful
opportunity for the children to share their produce with others at such a well-known food destination.”
Claire Pritchard, Borough Market Trustee  said:  “Borough Market is extremely lucky to be at the heart of one of the most
diverse cities in the world. This means we are surrounded by an amazing array of foods from different cultures. Sharing food is a wonderful way to learn more about the rich cultural heritage within our community – and children make fantastic teachers!”
The Celebration Sale is part of an ongoing partnership with food education charity School Food Matters. All proceeds from the Celebration Sale will go to charity FareShare, who provide meals for Londoners in need of support.
Stephanie Wood, founder of Food Matters, said: “Our Celebration Sale brings together children from local schools to showcase food from different cultures and share stories from their communities through the universal experience of preparing and sharing delicious food.”
Stallholders from across the UK and more than 30 countries make up the stalls in the charity-owned market, where people from
all walks of life have met and traded for more than 1,000 years.
Eight people were killed and 48 injured, including four unarmed police officers who attempted to stop the assailants, in the June 3 attacks on Borough Market.
The three attackers, who wore fake explosive vests, were later shot dead by police.
* The Celebration Sale will take place from 11am to 1.30pm.