Year 9 and 10 students in our Food & Nutrition Department have enjoyed a full-day educational visit to The Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate. The focus of the trip was food provenance and sustainability.

The Great Yorkshire Show is the UKs biggest celebration of food and farming; it therefore provides the perfect opportunity for students to learn about the origins of food, such as where it has been grown and raised, and also how it is distributed and marketed. Visitors to the show can also enjoy demonstration cooking shows and sampling some of the very best British produce, from cheeses, jams and chutneys to artisan breads, pies and cakes.

In the Food Hall, students spoke to farmers about the challenges they face as food providers, and to cheesemakers who were happy to discuss the cheesemaking process and provide samples. In the livestock section, they looked at the different breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs, and spoke to exhibitors to find out which breeds produce the best meat and dairy, and where the different cuts of meat come from on the animals; they also learned how animals are reared for the food chain. Overall, the trip was an enlightening experience for students who reported a much greater appreciation of the food they eat as a result.