This summer we so enjoyed welcoming Jo Ingleby from The Children's Kitchen here holding weekly workshops for children, funded by the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF). Here Jo outlines what they got up to on these magical days!
This summer holiday we had the pleasure of being based at The Community Farm for our entire Your Holiday Hub workshop programme. This is part of the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) – a government-funded programme for children eligible for Free School Meals, and locally administered by Bristol City Council.
Amazing!! In over 30 years of delivering play schemes this was definitely one of the most rewarding, enjoyable and beneficial to young people I have experienced. - HAF Provider
The farm, located in Chew Magna and overlooking Chew Valley Lake, is a not-for-profit social enterprise dedicated to growing organic produce for veg boxes, charities and schools across the region. It also welcomes people onto the land to share in a love of nature, soil, and food.
The Farm's mission is to get more people enjoying the benefits of a better food system so that local people and nature nourish each other and flourish together.
In total, we hosted ten full days of visits with Your Holiday Hub organisations, welcoming groups of children and young people from across Bristol who arrived by coach. This was a new initiative from the Your Holiday Hub team, adding farm experience days to an already exciting list of trips available during the holidays.
It was fantastic, the children and families had a fantastic experience and the plant to table food approach combining nature with cooking was just wonderful. -
HAF Provider
We’ve been involved from the very start through Feeding Bristol. Normally, The Children’s Kitchen travels around the city hosting pop-up workshops in community venues, but this year we invited groups to pick and cook with us in the beautiful surroundings of the farm.
Our days began with a picking tour of the farm, harvesting cucumbers from seven-foot-tall plants, vibrant beetroot, tomatoes in many colours, and an endless variety of apples. We also gathered fresh herbs and took time to search for insects and pollinators. The farm team shared their passion for nature and biodiversity, talking with the groups about growing without chemicals and protecting the environment.
The Farm day was brilliant — the children absolutely loved it and loads of them asked if we could go again. They came away really inspired and curious abo
ut growing, and the staff were fantastic throughout. - HAF Provider
Hands-on cooking is always at the heart of our sessions, and at the farm, we could cook food just minutes after it had been picked! We made filo rolls filled with fresh herbs, courgettes, and greens; pasta with a fresh tomato and green bean sauce; and a brightly coloured farm salad with freshly made pickles. These sessions highlighted the importance of experiencing nature and growing food first-hand—especially for children. Eating a cucumber straight from the vine or an apple from the tree is a magical moment, and something everyone should have the chance to experience; we hope to continue this partnership for future HAF sessions!
By Jo Ingleby, The Children's Kitchen
