Over 1,200 children learn how the ingredients for pancakes are produced locally in successful two-day Food Story event

Over 1,200 children from across Pembrokeshire, aged from five to 16, learnt how the ingredients for pancakes are produced locally during a highly successful ‘Food Story / Stori Bwyd’ event, held by the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society.

During the event arable, dairy, pig, sheep and poultry farmers, as well as honey producers, and from all over the county, volunteered their time to talk to the children and hands-on demonstrations. They explained to the children how they produce the ingredients for their pancakes ahead of Pancake Day, they also demonstrated how they farm sustainably and how they care for the countryside.

The event was held on the Pembrokeshire County Showground where there was farm machinery and live animals for the local school and home educated children to see first-hand what is used to produce their food. The children also got the opportunity to mix pancake batter and eat pancakes with locally produced toppings with the assistance of chefs from Castell Howell.

Kathy Wilson, a former teacher and now an Honorary Pembrokeshire Show Governor, organised the event on behalf of the Society’s Food Story / Stori Bwyd. She said, “I would like to say a massive thank you to each and every one of the volunteers who took two days out from their busy work on the farm to come and talk to the children and demonstrate how they produce food and drink. The smiles on the faces of the children said it all, they listened intently, enthusiastically took part in the demonstrations and the teachers took resources back with them to their schools to continue the learning. One of the important elements of Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society’s work is educational and spreading the word around the county about how local food is produced by farmers. Everyone enjoyed eating the pancakes after they had learnt that the ingredients are produced by the farmers they met during their visit.”

As well as food production, the event was an opportunity to teach the children about the seasonality of what farmers produce locally and how the weather and climate affects the work farmers do as well as the different food groups and healthy eating.

Pupils from over 30 schools and colleges took up the opportunity to attend the event. These ranged from progression step 1 up to BTEC in Agriculture students.

Thank you to NFU Mutual, the CLA Charitable Trust and Women in Wales,for their financial support. Thanks also to the NFU, the FUW, Wynnstay, CCF and Lantra for providing educational resources for the schools and pupils.