Camborne students plan community feast made from food they grew

Students at a Camborne school have spent months in the polytunnels, and now they want to feed the county with what they have learned.

Camborne Science and International Academy (CSIA) is preparing to host a Community Feast that will bring together guests from across Cornwall to celebrate healthy, sustainable and locally sourced food.

The event takes place on Thursday 25 June. It is the culmination of months of work by students, who have been growing produce in the school’s polytunnels, researching seasonal ingredients, working with local suppliers and helping to design the menu.

📷A student plants seeds in the school garden

More than just cooking the dinner

The students have not only prepared and served the meal. They have also produced media content and planned the event itself, picking up a range of practical and creative skills along the way.

The feast will feature ingredients grown by the students alongside produce sourced from Cornish farmers and suppliers. Organisers say every dish will be prepared using fresh ingredients and will be free from ultra-processed foods.

Guests will hear directly from the students about their involvement in the project, what they have learned, and why it matters to understand where food comes from.

📷Principal Emma Haase gets her hands dirty in the CSIA gardens

Connecting the classroom to the community

The initiative aims to promote healthy eating, sustainability and a greater appreciation of local food production. It also puts a spotlight on the role young people can play in creating positive change within their communities.

CSIA is part of the Athena Learning Trust, which runs sustainability, enterprise and community projects designed to link classroom learning with real-world experience.

📷Growing food together in the school gardens

What the school says

Emma Haase, Principal of Camborne Science and International Academy, said the evening would let students show everything they had picked up over recent months.

“This promises to be a fantastic evening celebrating healthy, sustainable food and giving students the chance to showcase everything they have learned over the past few months. We are incredibly proud of the energy and creativity our students have shown in bringing this vision to life, taking real ownership of the project from growing produce and planning menus to working with local suppliers and preparing for the event. We can’t wait to open our doors to the community.”

📷Students tending crops in the polytunnel spaces