A collaborative school project celebrating the nutrition and sustainability of peas received the Yummy Award for Best Local Initiative Championing Children's Healthy Food at the Children's Food Summit 2025.

The Give Peas a Chance! pilot project is a collaboration between the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET), Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI), Aberdeen City Council, Soil Association Scotland, and farmer Phil Swire.

Funded by Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and Farming's Bridging the Gap programme, the project integrates locally grown peas into 61 school sites, serving 13,500 meals daily. The project.

Educational activities like classroom talks and pupil competitions teach students about sustainability and healthy habits and features 12 innovative recipes, including lemon and pea risotto, showcasing peas as a versatile, climate-friendly protein.

Katrina Barclay, RHET Executive Officer, said:

“It’s been amazing to see the impact that this project has had on connecting children in Aberdeen to the countryside as well as celebrate how peas can improve soil health and demonstrate how we can all reduce food waste.

“Important initiatives like Give Peas a Chance! are only possible through industry collaboration and generous funding.”

The Children’s Food Awards’ judges praised the project's innovation, its integration of sustainability into school meals, and its potential for wider replication.

Alison Johnston, RNCI Project Manager, said:

“We are delighted to be a partner in the Give Peas a Chance project and engage with Aberdeen City learners to share the amazing journey of the split green organic pea from field to fork.”

The learning resources developed through this project are accessible to everyone and can be found at Give Peas a Chance in Schools on the Royal Highland Education Trust website.