The Royal Northern Countryside Initiative, Royal Highland Trust, Soil Association Scotland, Highland Council and Moray Council are collaborating on a pilot project to get organic peas into school meals, thanks to extended funding from Sustain’s Bridging the Gap Programme. As well as working with schools directly in Moray and the Inverness area the pea learning resources are available to schools across Scotland.
As we head into the 2025/26 academic year, The Story of Vegetables continues to grow and evolve. While peas remain a key focus, the project will also open up exciting opportunities for pupils to explore a wide range of other vegetables grown across Scotland. From field to fork, learners will discover how these crops are produced, their role in a healthy diet, and their importance in building a more sustainable food system.
The Give Peas a Chance! pilot project aims to open up a new route to market for this local and organic plant protein, allowing pupils to access healthy and sustainable food. It is a partnership between Soil Association Scotland, Highland Council, Moray Council and pea producer Phil Swire of Balmakewan Farm, and the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI).
The organic dried split peas are grown in Laurencekirk. The roots of the pea plants have a symbiotic relationship with rhizobium bacteria, which fixes nitrogen in the soil, making it a climate-friendly protein that also has huge nutritional benefits for school pupils. The Council’s school meals menu, launched for the start of the new school year, includes a variety of pea based dishes.
Alison Johnston Project Manager Royal Northern Countryside Initiative said: “The Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI) and Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) are delighted to be working with the Soil Association and other partners to deliver the ‘Give Peas a Chance!’ programme funded through Sustain and the Bridging the Gap fund. We look forward to engaging young people and teachers in to share the power of the pea and embed healthy and sustainable diets for all through an education offering including classroom visits and educational resources.”
Sarah Gowanlock, Partnerships Manager, Soil Association Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to bring this exciting pilot project to Moray, and to bring organic split peas to even more pupils in Scotland’s northeast. We’ve seen through the first 12 months of the pilot project that school meals that include this plant protein are a win-win: locally sourced, sustainable and nutritious. In collaboration with Moray Council, we want to show the power of public procurement for getting more of these types of high-quality Scottish ingredients on to school meal plates.
Phil Swire, Organic Farmer and Pea Producer at Balmakewan Farm, Laurencekirk, said: “Growing peas is an important part of our crop rotation and helps keep the farm’s soils healthy. I’m delighted to be able to supply locally grown ingredients into the school meals service, allowing more pupils to give peas a chance!”
You can find all our vegetable related learning resources (including peas) at https://rhet.org.uk/teachers/projects/the-journey-of-food-the-story-of-vegetables/
