Schools wow the experts with soup sold for charity at Borough Market
Students from four London schools raised nearly £500 for charity by selling their soup at Borough Market’s Young Marketeers Winter Soup Sale.
The youngsters were given some guidance by some special experts.
Food critic and author Melissa Hemsley and columnist, chef and food writer Xanthe Clay visited Lilian Baylis Technology School in Kennington Lane, Kennington, last week, along with the market’s new chief executive, Jane Swift, to sample and judge some of the pupils’ recipes.
The four schools set up stalls at the iconic food market and sold their delicious creations to the public, raising money for The Felix Project.
The other three schools involved were Bacon’s College in Timber Pond Road, Rotherhithe, St Gabriel’s College in Langton Road, Lambeth and The Charter School in Red Post Hill, East Dulwich.
Together, they raised £478 in sales, and every £1 provides enough food for six tasty meals for vulnerable people across the capital.
The Winter Soup Sale is an annual event and forms part of the Young Marketeers Programme, now in its 11th year.
The programme teaches students about how to avoid food waste, eat seasonally and develop their cookery skills, as well as giving them the entrepreneurial skills to market and sell their goods, thanks to advice from the market’s expert traders.
Pupils were taught how to make three tasty soups using seasonal vegetables, while Borough Market’s popular bakers at Bread Ahead gave the students a ciabatta breadmaking masterclass to serve alongside their soup.
The soups were tested by a judging panel of Borough Market specialists ahead of the sale, to ensure the quality and flavour met market standards.
Melissa Hemsley said: “It’s so heart-warming to see young people learning about food. The programme is a fantastic platform for school children to gain invaluable cooking skills and understand where their food comes from, and this new knowledge really shone through in their soup creations.
“What I also love about this programme was that the children learn about food waste and food poverty through its connection with The Felix Project – an organisation I have been working with closely over the last four years.”
Xanthe Clay said: “The soups made by the students were all delicious – we had a tough time choosing a winning soup as so much had gone into each one.
“This scheme combining cooking skills, reducing waste, and business know-how alongside supporting food poverty NGOs, really engaged the students on so many levels.”
Pictured top: Bacon’s College students at Borough Market (Picture: Barley Communications)
