NACTON: Green experts say we must cut food miles to help save the planet – and ingredients for dinners at one village school don’t have to travel far at all.

Pupils at Nacton Primary can see the vegetables for their midday meals growing in the fields surrounding the school – and sometimes the veg eaten is even grown by the children themselves.

It’s all part of a project to give the youngsters hands-on experience of gardening and also cooking at school clubs.

Headteacher Elizabeth Ditton said fresh vegetables for the school meals came from nearby Home Farm, Nacton, and meat and other ingredients were sourced from Suffolk producers. The school cook uses flour from local corn to make bread every day.

“The children have been to the farm to see how mass agricultural production takes place and see first-hand where the vegetables come from and how they are harvested, and were fascinated,” she said.

“The younger children in the school also get involved in our own gardening club here and have the chance to grow vegetables, helping to plant them, water and harvest them.

“It’s all done organically and they have really enjoyed it – and eating them too when we use some of their vegetables in our meals.”