Moray gives peas a chance
Image: Moray Council school caterers are using organic dried split peas in school meals.
Soil Association Scotland and Moray Council are collaborating on a pilot project to get organic peas into school meals, thanks to extended funding from Sustain’s Bridging the Gap Programme.
The Give Peas a Chance! pilot project aims to open up a new route to market for this local and organic plant protein, allowing pupils to access healthy and sustainable food. It is a partnership between Soil Association Scotland, Moray Council and other councils in the north east of Scotland, pea producer Phil Swire of Balmakewan Farm, the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) and the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI).
The organic dried split peas are grown in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire. The roots of the pea plants have a symbiotic relationship with rhizobium bacteria, which fixes nitrogen in the soil, making it a climate-friendly protein that also has huge nutritional benefits for Moray’s school pupils. The Council’s school meals menu, launched for the start of the new school year, includes delicious pea-based dishes, such as pea soup and even choc-pea brownies, which have already been a huge hit with pupils.
Image: the choc-pea brownies have been a hit with Moray school pupils.
The new pea recipes will be accompanied by educational activities to show the pupils the farm-to-fork story of the peas. Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) has launched an education pack and Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI) will be delivering classroom talks in select schools.
Inverness-based Swansons Food Wholesalers holds a crucial role in the pilot. Moray Council school’s fruit and vegetable supplier for 20 years, the company delivers the peas to schools in Moray. The local business with employee ownership started as a greengrocer with two staff in 1991 and has grown into a wholesale business with 40 staff, delivering produce to private and public caterers across Moray and Highland.
Sarah Gowanlock, Partnerships Manager, Soil Association Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to bring this exciting pilot project to Moray, and to bring organic split peas to even more pupils in Scotland’s northeast. We’ve seen through the first 12 months of the pilot project that school meals that include this plant protein are a win-win: locally sourced, sustainable and nutritious. In collaboration with Moray Council, we want to show the power of public procurement for getting more of these types of high-quality Scottish ingredients on to school meal plates.”
Cllr Kathleen Robertson, Chair of the Education, Children’s and Leisure Services Committee, said: “We’re always looking for ways to make school meals more engaging, nutritious and sustainable. This project is a fantastic example of how we can do all three, while giving pupils the opportunity to understand where their food comes from.”
Phil Swire, Organic Farmer and Pea Producer at Balmakewan Farm, Laurencekirk, said: “It’s fantastic to be partnering with Moray Council on this pilot. Growing peas is an important part of our crop rotation and helps keep the farm’s soils healthy. I’m delighted to be able to supply locally grown ingredients into the school meals service, allowing more pupils to give peas a chance!”
Scott Air, Director, Swansons Wholesalers said: “It is great to be able to help a Scottish farmer to establish themselves in delivering this fantastic product out to so many schools, helping kids to broaden their minds towards the products they eat.”
Alison Johnston, Project Manager Royal Northern Countryside Initiative said: “The Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI) and Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) are delighted to be working with the Soil Association and other partners to deliver the Give Peas a Chance! pilot project funded through Sustain and the Bridging the Gap fund. We look forward to engaging young people and teachers in Moray to share the power of the pea and embed healthy and sustainable diets for all through an education offering including classroom visits and educational resources.”