Grown here or far away?

Learning objectives

• Sort fruit and veg into “usually grown in the UK” and “mostly imported”.
• Explain what “in season” means.
• Give a reason why some foods can’t easily be grown in the UK.

Curriculum links

• D&T, Key stage 1“understand where food comes from”
• D&T, Key stage 2“understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed”

Lesson plan

1. Starter5 min
   Hold up the Banana card. Has anyone seen a banana tree in Britain? Why not?
2. Sort15 min
   Groups sort their cards into “usually grown in the UK” and “mostly imported”. Allow a “not sure” pile.
3. Check10 min
   Go through the answers. Talk about the surprising ones: tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are grown in UK greenhouses; most peaches and figs are imported even though they can grow in British gardens.
4. Seasons15 min
   Use the season chart on the answer sheet. Which UK fruit and veg could we eat in winter? Which only in summer? Why might food taste better in season?
5. Plenary5 min
   Show foodmiles.com and look up how far one imported card travelled to reach us.

Support and challenge

• SupportGive groups 10 cards with very clear answers (banana, pineapple, potato, carrot…).
• ChallengePick one imported fruit and find out which countries the UK buys it from.