WI ladies pass on the old skills

By Katherine Sellgren
BBC News education reporter

Aisla, 9, puts the finishing touches on the lavender shortbread

"You can do all sorts of things with lavender - it's a very versatile thing," Celia Forsberg tells pupils at Whitley Village School in Cheshire, as they make a batch of lavender shortbread biscuits.

"You hang it up in the house to dry for a few months, store it in a jar and you can use it in shortbread, in cakes or mix it with cream.

"It's very subtle with peaches soaked in white wine," she tells me quietly.

A member of the local Women's Institute, Celia is one of a group of women who comes into the local village primary school to pass on gardening, cookery and craft skills to the children.

Since the WI became involved in the school two years ago - with the help of a grant from Cheshire Year of Gardens - pupils have planted their own carrots, potatoes, broad beans, lavender bushes and flowers in raised beds in the school grounds.

They have learnt how some of these ingredients can then be used to make carrot cake, lavender biscuits, potato wedges, lemon balm and elderflower cordial.

Celia Forsberg passes on less well-known uses for lavender

As the scheme - known as Seed to Saucepan - has evolved, pupils have also had workshops in crocheting, sewing, knitting, making cards and flower arranging.

Handing on traditions

Head teacher Julie Morrison says the older generation has a wealth of knowledge that younger generations are in danger of losing.

"What's been fantastic is that there's a lot of tradition in this community and there are so many skills that this generation wouldn't necessarily use now," she says.

"I feel their [pupils'] learning has really been enriched. It also helps them to make different connections between parts of the curriculum."

Adam, 9, says: "I enjoy Seed to Saucepan because we get to cook things that we've never cooked before.

Pupils have grown an array of vegetables and herbs

"Digging up potatoes was fun because I've never used a trowel before and it was fun."

Charlotte, 10, says: "I liked picking the broad beans because when you go to the supermarket they're all the same size and when we saw them outside they were all curly."

Aisla, 9, adds: "Last time we picked apples and we made apple and blackberry pie. We made potato wedges as well. They give us the recipes as well so we can make them at home.

"It's really good fun and it's a way to get out of the classroom - it's really good."

Community links

While pupils have undoubtedly benefited from the WI's involvement in their school, the ladies themselves say they too have reaped enormous benefits from the scheme.

Many had children at the school years ago and have enjoyed coming back to the school.

Sue Roberts had children at the school

Sue Roberts says: "There was a group of women in the village hall once a week and another group at the school and there was hardly any interaction between the two.

"There was so much that everyone had to offer each other and if the WI came to the school, everyone would be interacting.

"It's enriched everyone's lives - being with the young mums has been great."

Elizabeth Alms adds: "It increases the overall sense of community and we know each other in a way we wouldn't have before."

Parents too say they have learnt new things.

Karen Moore, who has two children at the school and has helped run the scheme, says she has picked up all sorts of new gardening skills.

"It's spurred me on - I've got three vegetable patches now. As adults we swap ideas, seeds and plants," says Karen.

Elizabeth Alms makes lemon balm and elderflower cordial with pupils

"The whole thing with Seed to Saucepan is it's not just about the children, it's about involving the local community and bringing in these ladies and all they know."

Award winners

Earlier this year, the scheme won the school £1,000 from the NCPTA's gold star rewards for its success in changing the life of the school.

The prize money has been set aside to develop a wildlife garden, in association with neighbouring Lymm Anglers Club, as the Seed to Saucepan project continues to evolve.

Behind the scheme's success lies a lot of hard work and dedication, as well as the inevitable red tape.

"It's a lot of hard work - we've had a lot of planning meetings," says Gill Alcock, who, as a younger WI member with a daughter at the school, provided the initial link between the school and the WI.

"And there is the trouble of red tape," adds Karen Moore.

"We can't pick the stuff out of the garden and cook it because we have to get it checked to see if it's okay to eat. So anything we pick we sell or the children can take them home.

The produce grown cannot be used directly for cooking

"We'd like to have a greenhouse - but we don't know what the legalities are in terms of health and safety."

Sue Roberts says some of the other WI members were put off taking part in the scheme because they did not want to bother with the required police checks.

But despite these minor setbacks, the school and the WI remain committed to Seed to Saucepan.

"What's great is that the kids just enjoy it so much," says Gill Alcock.

"It brings so many people together - it really backs up the African saying that it takes a village to raise a child."