From Shore to Farm Gate. Our 1st Family Foodie Fun Day
So did we make a difference? Did we made an impact on helping children understand more about where their food comes from?
Well, a few days on there has been lots of very encouraging feedback from those who attended the first of what will now be an annual, family foodie fun day event. The word on the street from the parents is that yes, we did engage the children through a range of sensory experiences that has ignited an interest and the start of a journey of understanding about the food they eat.
On the day, despite a light wind and a few clouds in the sky the weather stayed kind to us as we started our coastal walk directly under the magnificent Forth Rail Bridge (soon perhaps a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Foraging along the Fife coastal shoreline path overlooking the historic inner Forth Islands allowed the chance to discover the taste of the wild and learn what our ancestors ate from the woods, meadows and seashore.
Led by wild food expert and ex-Fife ranger Tony Wilson, we gained an understanding of what can be eaten that grows wild and even out of a country wall!
Down at the seashore we found a range of seaweed, shrimps and crabs to name but a few. What Tony doesn’t know about all manner of plants, crustaceans and nature in general isn’t of course, worth knowing.
Our second and final stop was on the South Queensferry side of the Forth Road Bridge. John Sinclair of Craigie’s Farm was the hero of the day. At the helm for the tractor and trailer ride around this arable farm, and the man who gave the permission to try the just sun-ripened Scottish strawberries and raspberries. 
Are tastes memorable? Ask any one of the children (or adults for that matter!). There is nothing better than getting first hand knowledge of the production of food than from the grower.
That is exactly what we at Tasting Scotland pride ourselves on. We want you, regardless of your age to hear it directly from the specialist.John kept everyone interested by making regular stops at the different crops and explained their different stages; the cherries and apples at an early ripening stage. The asparagus, now at the start of its dormant stage. For some, visiting the twelve 5 week old piglets was the highlight, learning where their eggs came from when visiting the hens and for others the ‘jammy dodge’r jam tasting competition where the children took a seat in the education hut and undertook a blind jam tasting experience.
All in all a family foodie fun day was offered and that’s exactly what was had.
As soon as the date for the next one is released we will let you know. Until then eat wisely and well!
Tastefully yours,
Brenda
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