The Education Team here at Barleylands are very excited to be offering our Curriculum linked WW2 days to Primary School Children. So many Schools asked us why we stopped facilitating these types of days, and the answer was quite simply “we didn’t think Schools were looking for WW2 related learning experiences”. We have since learned that many Schools cover WW2 in History, and for us as Farmers, it is a great way to travel back in time with our young visitors!
Our WW2 Education Days also teaches children about the Dig for Victory campaign and Pig Clubs. But what we think sets us apart from the rest is that the Children get hands on in our kitchens and cook with Rations! At Barleylands, cooking is our USP. We believe if we are teaching Children about the journey of their food, we should also be encouraging them to get their hands into home grown Flour and make healthy snacks from scratch. Cooking snacks, sauces and meals, using familiar ingredients they have seen on the Farm is exciting – we literally see their faces light up. It also encourages Children to try things they think they don’t like and they start to relate ingredients they can see on their snack packets with items grown in our Veg Beds! We follow the guidelines set out by the British Nutritional Foundation, which helps Children and Adults think about the impact food has on health. Cooking is a life skill, and we absolutely love showing Children just how easy it is.
During a WW2 visit to Barleylands, Children have the opportunity to dress the part, step back in time and imagine what it would have been like to be an Evacuee. Across the day, the Children meet the animals on our Farm, have a tractor and trailer ride and are given a Ration Book. We have Rations prepared and they get a chance to get an up close look on how small their weekly items were! From our Dig for Victory plots and Polytunnel, the Children pick growing Vegetables and then the really exciting part happens, into the Barleylands kitchen to cook a Woolton Pie from scratch. The Children love this part of the day, where they get to collaborate with their Classmates and practice their chopping skills. Not only do the Pupils love this part, the Teachers comment that this is what sets a Barleylands Education Day apart from other Field Trips.
The recipe for Woolton Pie was the creation of the chef of the Savoy hotel in London and named after Lord Woolton who was the head of the Ministry of Food from April 1940 until November 1943. Many people had their own interpretation of this recipe, but one ingredient was always used – the humble carrot!
Here are a few words from one of our most recent WW2 Dig for Victory Day visits, Ursuline Prep School Warley, Assistant Headteacher, Mrs S Macdonald. This trip to Barleylands was planned to coincide with the end of the topic to help bring the subject to life.
“We could not have asked for a better day!
The WW2 / History outcomes were met but there was so much to our day.
We enjoyed the food prep and making the Woolton Pie. Not only did it bring the rationing aspect to life, it gave the Children opportunities to try and practice peeling, chopping and working collaboratively as a group.
The added bonus of the tractor ride, a visit to the Dig for Victory veg beds / growing crops and feeding the animals was the icing on the cake.
Thank you for such a great day, lots of smiles and laughter as well as learning
”
A date for the diary – Victory in Europe Day – 80th Anniversary – Thurs 8th May 2025.
For more information on our Education Days that we have available, please visit the Schools section of our website.
