May 2025
by Joe
Scottish berries are the best in the world… ok we might be slightly bias, but Scotland is definitely famous for them – especially on the East coast in Angus and here in Fife.
This week we have been celebrating this scrumptious Scottish delicacy by learning all about strawberries.
In each of the schools we planted strawberry plants in containers. These plants started their life in Laszlo’s allotment, and he kindly dug up a few plants for each school. This was a great opportunity to talk about how strawberry plants grow from runners – technically called ‘stolons’ – a genetic clone of the parent plant. As the strawberry plant runners are sent out, the nodes will develop new roots, send them downward, and establish the new clone plant once contact with soil is made. Once established, the connecting runners will dry, shrivel, turn brown, and eventually separate leaving two independent plants: the original and the clone. This special characteristic is what makes it easy to start growing strawberry plants from a runner.
After the learning came the tasting, and what better way to enjoy strawberries than in a classic Eton Mess? Unfortunately it’s still a bit too early in the season to use any strawberries from EATS Community Garden or Laszlo’s allotment, so we opted for the next best thing – shop-bought strawberries grown in Fife! The label on the punnet showed that these particular berries were grown at Barnsmuir Farm in Crail.
We kept the recipe simple and relatively healthy: crushed meringue, 50:50 whipped cream and natural yoghurt, and plenty of juicy strawberries, all gently folded together to make a dish that looked as good as it tasted.
Many pupils had never tried Eton Mess before, and some were a little unsure about the texture at first. But after one spoonful, everyone declared it a hit! They were proud of their creations, and even prouder knowing they were using local produce – a small but meaningful step in developing food awareness and appreciation for Scottish agriculture.
It was so popular in fact that in the autumn we will be celebrating another Scottish soft fruit – Raspberries – with a more traditional Cranachan dish – but maybe we might have to skip the Whisky!