A west Devon primary school has been given a prestigious award for its fantastic food culture.
Lady Modiford’s Primary School at Walkhampton has shown a huge appetite for making healthy and climate-friendly food part of its pupils’ everyday-lives and has been presented with the Food for Life Partnership Bronze Award.
It is the first school in Devon to achieve this prestigious award for good food culture.
Lady Modiford’s works with the Food for Life Partnership to transform its food culture and that of its community by reconnecting the children with growing, cooking, eating and appreciating climate-friendly, healthy and real food.
Lady Modiford’s serves seasonal school meals with 75% of the dishes being freshly prepared by a very well-trained school cook, Anne Hext-Williams.
Pupils and parents are involved in planning improvements to school menus and the dining experience, while every pupil has the opportunity to visit a farm and do cooking and food growing activities during his or her time at school.
A spokesperson for the school said: ‘Alongside our drive to make our curriculum more skill based, the school opened a cafe for a day.
‘The younger children baked bread and cakes whilst the older children cooked food alongside our chef and waited on tables.
‘The event lasted all day with full English and continental breakfasts, coffee and cakes, cream teas and finally a three course set menu for the evening.’
Prior to the day, older children from the school visited Morrisons in Tavistock and the local Co-op in Yelverton to price menus and calculate air miles to ensure food was as local as possible.
Groups have visited Elfordleigh Hotel for lessons in setting tables, folding napkins and also talking to the chefs about food preparation and hygiene.
The youngest children have visited a local farm and all the school had the chance to join the school cook’s cookery club.
To reward good manners at lunch times, Mrs Hext-Williams sets a table every week where children are served their dinners.
Traditional ‘airline’ style trays for dinners have been replaced by ceramic plates and bowls making the children’s lunchtime experience a much better one.
Gavin Hamilton, headteacher at Walkhampton, said: ‘The whole community have worked hard to help us achieve this award, especially our school cook Mrs Hext-Williams. We would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work.’
A school council spokesperson said: ‘Everyone enjoyed all the things we have done for this award.
‘It is nice to have our say and we have got the best school cook!’

http://www.princetown-today.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=47047

Residents from Walkhampton and its surrounding area are being invited to a special event aimed at raising awareness of properties for local people and getting all-important housing information to those who need it.

The event will take place in Walkhampton Village Hall between 10am and noon on Saturday December 5, alongside the regular Farmers’ Market.

Housing Advisors will be on hand to discuss the new development at Knowle Terrace, which is being built for Tor Homes in partnership with West Devon Borough Council.

The development, which is due for completion early in the New Year, is made up of six properties for rent. Permission was granted for the properties by Dartmoor National Park Authority, with the express condition that they must go to people with a housing need in the parish of Burrator.

The Housing Advisors will also be able give advice and information on other, general, housing enquiries.  With one of the Council’s West Devon Connect Advisors also at the event, comprehensive information on all manner of public services is promised, right alongside the opportunity to do the weekly shop!

Borough Councillor Diana Moyse, who represents the area, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for residents to find out more about our housing service and how we can help.”

http://www.tavistockpeople.co.uk/news/Special-Day-Housing-Advice/article-1558879-detail/article.html