AN ?organic cook in? for youngsters at Chagford Primary School took place recently, when local chef Tom Cull from Dartmoor Kitchen helped Year 4 to cook their own lunch using locally produced, organic ingredients. Tom brought a wonderful array of produce from Little Ash Eco farm, his parents? organic holding, and together they prepared a simple but delicious organic meal that was then consumed with gusto by the class. During the preparations, the children were able to experience all the flavours, textures and smells of a host of different herbs and vegetables. After lunch, the class took part in a range of related activities which encouraged the children to understand how their food is produced. The event was one of a series organised by West Devon-based Land Heritage, an organic farming and food charity, in celebration of the Soil Association?s Organic Week. An organic taste testing evening was also held at Yeoford?s Mare & Foal on Wednesday, September 7, organised by Land Heritage in collaboration with the new pub owners, chef Alex and Karen Duxbury Watkinson. More than 40 people came along to compare a meal made from locally sourced organic ingredients with a similar meal bought with ingredients from the supermarket. Overall, organic proved the preferred meal but many participants found it very difficult to taste the difference between organic and non-organic bread, both baked by Endacotts of Okehampton, and a lot of people preferred the flavour and texture of the non-organic burgers over the organic. ?Too meaty? was a comment made of the 100% organic beef burgers, which prompted a lively discussion about the meat content in ready-made burgers.
