PUPILS at Mount House School were given a fascinating insight into the running of the Prince of Wales' estate at Highgrove in Gloucestershire, when the estate manager David Wilson came to the school to give a talk on sustainable farming.

It was the latest in the Oracle lecture series, in which guest speakers give the children — and the staff and parents who attend — a glimpse into less usual aspects of life.

Mr Wilson highlighted the fact that much of our food relies on fossil-based agrichemicals. He focused on the sustainable methods used at Highgrove in food production, and how more traditional crop rotation methods and nitrogen rich plants can reduce and even replace reliance on modern chemicals.