SFM Autumn Update is here

If you have not received a copy of our Autumn Update, you can read it below. If you'd like to go our our mailing list to make sure that you don't miss out next time, just send us an email!

Welcome to the SFM Autumn Update. We start this newsletter with some egg-citing news from Grey Court School ...

GREY COURT COMMUNITY CHICKENS

Grey Court students are to appear on ITV London News in the finals of The People’s Millions competition on Tuesday 23 November. The school’s Grey Court Community Chickens will go head-to-head with another London-based project to win enough public votes to secure funding. Grey Court students need your help! On Tuesday 23 November you will receive an email with a number to call to register your vote. Calls cost 10p from a BT landline and you can vote 10 times.

This exciting project will give students at Grey Court and local primary schools a wonderful outdoor learning experience, from hatching and rearing chicks, to caring for the hens, and of course eating the lovely, fresh eggs. Local people will be able to buy eggs and volunteer or train to keep chickens too. But remember - we need your votes, so standby to receive that magic phone number on Tuesday 23 November!

GROWING IDEAS

SFM has produced a print version of its popular Growing Ideas in partnership with Kingston's sustainability unit. If you haven't received your copy, please

email us and we'll pop a copy in the post. The guide contains handy hints on how to get started and lots of case studies to inspire you. Order your copy now so that you can plan your vegetable garden ready for spring.

COOKING IDEAS

Cooking Ideas is expanding! Based on the successful Tom Aikens model, SFM is delighted to report that two more chefs have been seen cooking up a storm in local schools. Paul Merrett from

The Victoria christened the brand new teaching kitchen at East Sheen Primary School and David Neil from the

London Early Years Foundation helped children at St Stephen's celebrate Black History Month with some caribbean cooking. Tom will be back this month working at Battersea Park High School and St Mary's Primary in Clapham. Look out for the recipes from all these sessions on our Cooking Ideas page.

SCHOOL MEALS

The school meals working parties in Richmond and Kingston have now completed work on specifications for the next contract. Richmond's specification has already caught the eye of campaign group

Good Food on a Public Plate and the council will receive an award for its commitment to sustainable food at GFPP's annual awards at City Hall this month. We're working hard to get Kingston's specification before the judges too. Both contracts specify Food for Life Bronze as a minimum standard based on successful working models in other London boroughs. Look out for further updates on the SFM website.

AND FINALLY ...

SFM has joined food campaigners across the country to persuade our new government to protect investment in school meals. For an update on the campaign, visit the special Soil Association webpage and please sign the petition. SFM has also been working with partners in the world of food growing to encourage the government to acknowledge the importance of food growing in schools. Our report will be delivered to Defra tomorrow and will be available for you to read on the SFM website.

Thanks for your continued support.