WCF Horticulture, a leading packer and supply chain manager to the horticultural sector has been helping local schools around Perth and Kinross to dig deep in a bid to educate them about the origins of the food they eat.

The Potato Project, organised by the Perth & Kinross Initiative of the Royal Highland Educational Trust (RHET) and sponsored by WCF Horticulture, encourages classes to grow and harvest their own potatoes.

This year over 70 classes (almost 2000 pupils) from across Perth & Kinross took part in the project, which shows the children the gradually unfolding story of the spud and how food and farming are linked.

Top of the crops in the 2022 competition and winning the cup was the P1-3 class from Aberuthven Primary School who won the ‘Heaviest Crop of Potatoes’.

John Marshall, RHETs very own Professor Potato, said “The Potato Project has been going for years now in Perth and Kinross and it is fun and educational covering a range of learning outcomes which are very much hands-on and pupils enjoy learning how to grow potatoes and how they fit into a healthy balanced diet”. Mr Marshall delivered over 35 virtual potato sessions to the classes who took up the offer. He discussed his life working with potatoes and drew on his knowledge to excite pupils about growing their own food.

RHET Perth and Kinross will be running this free project again in the next academic year and would encourage all teachers to join in with it as it fits in with so many areas within the ‘Curriculum for Excellence.’

• Overall winner/Heaviest Crop
  Aberuthven Primary School P1-3
• 2nd Heaviest Crop
  Braco Primary School P1-2
• 3rd Heaviest Crop
  St Madoes Primary School P3/4
• Writing P1-3
  Hannah Swankie - P1B Inch View Primary School
• Writing P4-7
  Rohan Nataraja – P4 Milnathort Primary School
• Best Recipe
  Ruby MacLean – P4 Arngask Primary School