Farm to table workshop lets pupils explore nutritious and learning

Pupils in Daventry have been provided with a hands-on cookery workshop thanks to customers at Tesco Daventry Superstore, who selected The Countryside Kitchen to receive a £1,000 grant.

The grant awarded through Tesco’s blue token grant scheme, encourages customers to vote at participating stores, with community initiatives receiving up to £1,500. 

Year 3s at Falconer’s Hill School were one of the lucky classes to receive a fully-funded immersive Grow, Cook, Eat session at The Countryside Kitchen. Tesco supported the workshop by providing the ingredients for the cooking activities and removing any travel barriers to ensure all children could experience the interactive learning day. 

During their visit, the pupils learned how fresh ingredients become everyday meals, planted seeds, and helped to make homemade bread and butter, which was taste-tested by Daventry Constituency MP Stuart Andrew, who came along to the session to celebrate the team's hard work and to understand further how they support the community. 

 The pupils also experienced a farm visit where they met the residents – goats, cattle, sheep, rare breed pigs, and chickens. 

Lyanne Young, Vice Principal at Falconer’s Hill Academy, said: “A huge thank you to the team at the farm for making the whole day enjoyable – Milly’s passion for inspiring future generations was clear. Our class visits have provided our pupils with hands-on experiences and enabled us to enhance our curriculum in subjects such as geography and science. 

“Each session was packed with a wide range of experiences, and many left the day with a real sense of purpose and achievement. We’re very grateful for the opportunity to give our pupils such a trip, one that will always be remembered for bringing learning to life – and inspiring some future farmers.” 

The Countryside Kitchen was established in July 2025 with the aim of connecting children and community groups with food, farming, nature, and wellbeing to create a fun and interactive environment to learn about food and nutrition and develop a wide range of skills through practical experiences to boost their confidence inside and outside the kitchen. 

Since then, it has welcomed more than 900 children, vulnerable adults, and community group members to participate in Grow, Cook, Eat sessions at its working farm in Yelvertoft. 

Milly Fyfe MBE, Founding Director at The Countryside Kitchen, said: “We had a fantastic day. The children were very engaged and asked many insightful questions about the farm, food production, and where their food comes from. It was wonderful to see them develop skills to cook nutritious meals. 

“We are grateful to Tesco and the community for their support in making this session accessible, as for many families, the costs of transport and enrichment activities can be a barrier. Support like this enables us to ensure that children can experience food and farming first-hand, regardless of their background, allowing us to focus on inspiring curiosity and creating positive food memories that can last a lifetime. For the children, it’s not just a school trip – it’s an opportunity to see, touch, taste, and truly understand the journey of our food. I believe we may even have some future farmers in the making.” 

Claire De Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “Learning about the hands-on educational approach the team at The Countryside Kitchen uses to serve communities across Northamptonshire – especially their commitment to teaching children vital life skills like cooking, farming, and understanding the journey food takes to reach our plates – is truly inspiring. Their interactive sessions help children build confidence in making positive food choices – something we consider invaluable at Tesco. 

“Our customers at Daventry Superstore chose the Grow, Cook, Eat workshops and because of them, pupils in the area can learn about healthy habits that will benefit them into adulthood and, hopefully, teach the next generation about nutrition. We’re always on the lookout for community-centred initiatives that make a real impact on the education of children, especially when it comes to helping them create a path in life that is well-balanced with health at the centre, ensuring all children have access to well-balanced and well-informed decisions for a healthier future.”