Meet the children at a school where they learn about food from 'seed to spoon'

The look on faces of excited children gorging on fresh fruit and veg speaks volumes at what the pioneering Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools initiative hopes to achieve.

Mandeville Primary School in inner city London is unique because it has a large open space, part of which has been dedicated to growing fresh, seasonal produce.

Here children get to touch, feel and see what is eventually served up at lunchtime.

Under the tutelage of Head Food Educator Tom Walker, 39, they are all involved in the process from "seed to spoon".

And the knowledge they have gathered at such an early age has not only inspired them to try new foods, but to enjoy them as well.

He said: "Children here literally get dirt under their fingernails [but wash them before they eat] in order to learn where the food they put in their mouths comes from. The knowledge they have gained at such a young age is greater than some adults. They have learned how to hold their knives, how to chop things properly and curate recipes.

"I didn't eat my first curry until I was 21. Pupils here are making Thai green curries and tanginess."

Tesco was so impressed with the way pupils are taught and fed it has donated £1,000 to Tom's kitchen and garden - the envy of schools across the capital.

The retailer now hopes its Fruit & Veg for Schools scheme will light a similar spark and inspire tens of thousands of schoolchildren across the country to realise healthy food is not boring or tasteless, but fun and nutritious.

Sat around a table awash with fresh fruit, pupils at Mandeville told how they had learned to enjoy different foods after it had become part of the school culture.

Malu, seven, said: "I eat lots of fruit and veg. Watermelon is my favourite because it's so delicious and juicy. I don't have a favourite vegetable, I like them all."

Christopher, nine, said: "My favourites are cucumber, strawberries, mangoes, melon and broccoli. I know they have lots of vitamins, which are good for the body."

And Lily, five, added: "I like apples because sometimes it helps to get a hobby tooth out."

Headteacher Marc Thompson, 49, said: "When children are invested in something, in this case the growing and harvesting of food, they are much more open to trying and eating it. The National Curriculum expects children to be taught about nutrition and how to cook food. But most don't have the facilities."