SEAFOOD Scotland’s highly-successful Seafood in Schools project is at Broxburn Academy this week, presenting a series of interactive workshops to more than 330 high school and primary pupils and their teachers.
The event will teach children where seafood comes from, how healthy it is to eat, and how it gets to their plates.
Each pupil will attend three, half-hour workshops, whilst a separate session at lunchtime for teachers, aims to give them more confidence in using seafood as a context for learning.
Pupils are looking forward to the first workshop, a wetfish counter supplied by John Vallance of Glasgow Fishmarket, which will enable pupils to see and handle a variety of fresh and live species, such as crab, lobster, langoustine, cod, haddock and monkfish, and to learn how they are caught, landed and processed.
For the second workshop, Seafood in Schools has teamed up with chef, Liam McDonough, of Sodexo and Oatridge College, who will demonstrate a quick and easy cold mackerel dish for pupils to taste and provide recipes to take home to parents.
Catriona Frankitti from the Fish for Health project is running the third workshop, and will explain why seafood is good for our health, whilst tempting pupils to try a selection of fish and shellfish high in Omega 3, including mackerel, trout, salmon, herring and brisling sardines.
“This workshop challenges children to explore new seafood and we find that once they respond to peer pressure to try something, they are surprised to find that they actually enjoy it,” explained Catriona.
Seafood for the tasting and cooking sessions is supplied by Macraes, Daniels Sweet Herring, International Fish Canners, the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation, and the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group, with oatcakes sponsored by Nairns.
“Our seafood sponsors are very generous with their products, as they are keen for the next generation to grow up being familiar with a wide range of seafood,” said Catriona.
Following the workshops, each participating class undertakes a project of their choosing using seafood as a context for learning, which they must demonstrate to the rest of the school through an assembly or similar activity.
“In this way, we ensure that the Seafood in Schools programme and the messages it teaches, have a very wide reach,” said programme manager, Nicki Holmyard.
Parents are invited to an evening community event on Thursday 13th March between 1600 and 1800, to enjoy the same experiences as their children and to learn more about why seafood is one of Scotland’s most valuable natural resources.
In addition to students from Broxburn Academy, pupils from Broxburn, Uphall and Kirkhill primaries will attend, along with those from Dechmont Infant School and Pumpherston and Uphall Station Community Primary.
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Photocall with the children: 11am Wednesday 12th March (alternative timings by arrangement).
To arrange a photocall or for further press enquiries, please contact Martin Hunt on 07767 401 76007767 401 760, martin@tartansilk.co.uk
Seafood Scotland is an industry organisation that works throughout the supply-chain with fishermen, fish/shellfish farmers, processors, retailers, food service companies, caterers, NGOs and consumers to develop and enhance the competitive performance, quality practices and global reputation of a sustainable Scottish seafood industry. Seafood Scotland manages the Seafood in Schools project.
For more information, please visit: http://www.seafoodscotland.org
Seafood in Schools is a project that aims to teach children about Scottish seafood; where it comes from, how it reaches our plates, and why eating seafood is good for us. It is funded by Scottish Government, Seafish, Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation, the Scottish Fishermen’s Trust and the Scottish Whitefish Producers’ Association, and also relies on in-kind contributions and involvement by the fishing and aquaculture industries.
For more information, please contact Nicki Holmyard, SiS manager, on 0771 127 26370771 127 2637 nicki@seafoodscotland.org or visit: http://www.seafoodinschools.org
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