Look out for the young marketeers at Borough Market on Thursday, July 6 as they sell their own school-grown produce.
Primary school pupils are set to take over Borough Market to sell fruit and vegetables they have grown from seed in their school gardens, at the annual Summer Sale.
Every penny raised by the children will be used by The Felix Project to provide meals for vulnerable families across the capital.
Sixty pupils from twelve primary schools are setting up stalls in the capital’s historic food market, to demonstrate their new-found skills in growing and passion for spending time in nature.
Run by a charitable trust for the benefit of the community, Borough Market has hosted the Young Marketeers programme in partnership with School Food Matters for the past twelve years.
On the day they will be joined by zero-waste chef, Martyn Odell – who will be showing the children how to cook sustainably using what they have grown.
Martyn, whose zero-waste cooking videos have made him an internet sensation, said: “As a huge advocate for reducing food waste, I love how The Felix Project works with different businesses and organisations to divert food set to go to waste, to the people who need it most.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting the pupils taking part in the Summer Sale at Borough Market this year and creating some delicious recipes with their freshly grown produce,” he said.
The Summer Sale is set to take place on Thursday, July 6, from 11 am – 1.30 pm.
Previous sales have seen pupils selling their school-grown rhubarb, radishes, cucumber, marrow, lettuce, spring onions, strawberries, lavender, herb bunches, garlic and more.
In Spring 2023, School Food Matters surveyed 500 school pupils and revealed that more than a third (37 per cent) had never seen fruit or vegetables growing, while two-thirds (66 per cent) felt they didn’t spend enough time in nature and wanted more.*
The programme gives children the opportunity to spend time in their school gardens learning about where their food comes from, understand the importance of eating seasonally and discover new cooking skills. It not only provides pupils with essential nutritional knowledge and gardening techniques, but it also equips them with invaluable life skills, as they learn from the Market’s traders about how to sell their produce to the public.
Since the Young Marketeers Programme began, 56,175 children have taken part, raising £11,472 for The Felix Project through their sales – the equivalent of 68,832 meals for vulnerable families in need.