Nursery children have been learning how to grow, chop, and cut vegetables with the help of a trial Mansfield District Council scheme.

Children’s Kitchen classes have been held in nurseries and FOOD clubs across the district to empower children and families to explore food in an exciting and informal way.

The project, supported by the charity Feeding Britain, aims to increase food knowledge to early years children (2-5 years) and families. It includes talking about cooking, growing produce, recycling, and food waste.

Mayor Andy Abrahams said: “The scheme is a trailblazer for Nottinghamshire and is a brilliant way for children to learn that their food does not come from the nearby supermarkets; a lot more goes into getting it to the plate.

“The scheme has been encouraging young children to develop a taste for fresh produce through exploring food in their own way, following their interests and senses rather than recipes.

“The team has seen this make the children feel empowered to make their own informed choices about food.

“It also supports existing initiatives such as FOOD Clubs to provide cookery activities for families — not just increasing skills but providing free, or nearly free, produce for low-income families.”

As well as learning about the different types of fruit and vegetables, the children have also been growing crops at their school from seeds, learning about sustainable horticulture and environmentally-friendly ways of producing food, and harvesting them once grown.