Reaseheath College’s “Field to Fork” project with a local school has been recognised at a national environmental awards event.
The project involved food technology and horticulture students from the Nantwich college, pupils from Wrenbury Primary School and a former Michelin star chef.
It has won the Next Generation Learning and Skills category at the Green Gown Awards UK and Ireland 2022.
The awards recognise exceptional sustainability initiatives run by universities and colleges around the world.
The “Field to Fork” project enabled school pupils to learn first hand about sustainable food production and healthy eating.
It encouraged them to grow their own vegetables and use them as ingredients in meals which they helped to cook and share with their family.
The recipes were created by Simon Radley, former Executive Chef and Director of Catering at The Chester Grosvenor, who also taught at Reaseheath.
Students then used their new skills to supervise the pupils as they prepared the same meal in the college’s Food Centre.
Pupils enjoyed further ‘hands-on’ learning by planting vegetable seeds in readiness for their next recipe, and also looked at the sustainable growing systems in Reaseheath’s vertical farm.
The project was described by Green Gown judges as an “excellent initiative with obvious environmental and social benefits” and “an outstanding example of how a smaller institution could really make a difference by building local partnerships”.
Iain Clarke, Assistant Principal, (Land based and Sustainability), received the college’s award at a gala ceremony at Loughborough University.
He said: “We were against stiff competition and the only college finalist in our category, so I was absolutely delighted to accept this award on behalf of the Reaseheath team that worked so hard at organising the project, the operational detail and the award nomination bid.
“We are developing the project further by engaging with a wider range of schools and chefs from different cultures.
“This will make an even bigger impact on our local children and hopefully on the lives of their families, as they will be eating the very best of local, home grown and sustainable food and, importantly, understand where their food actually comes from.”
Principal Marcus Clinton said: “We are very proud to have been awarded such a prestigious and relevant national award.
“As a leading land-based institution, we recognise that this initiative aligns perfectly with our own vision for a forward looking curriculum with increased emphasis on sustainability and innovation, healthy eating and climate solutions.”
The Green Gown Awards are administered by the Environmental Association for Universities (EAUC), a not-for-profit charity which supports sustainability within the post-secondary education sector.
It has a membership of over 220 universities and colleges.
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