A nationwide competition to encourage primary school children to grow, harvest and menu plan with carrots has been launched.
In partnership with Elsoms Seeds, a UK independent seed company, the British Carrot Growers’ Association aim to inspire young people to increase their knowledge of growing food from seed to plate and encourage healthy eating and creative cooking.
Rodger Hobson, Chairman BCGA, said “The idea to run a schools’ carrot growing competition arose following the success of our first ever British Carrot Day, which now takes place annually on 3 October.
“We want to offer children a fun way to get curious about carrots – how to grow them and the many creative ways to eat and cook with them – be it sweet, savoury or simply to snack on. The taste, versatility and nutritional value of carrots are, I believe, the reasons they are one of the nation’s favourite vegetables.”
The BCGA and Elsoms Seeds will jointly promote the competition to primary schools, providing resources on carrot growing and care – including recipes for after harvest, tips and tricks, and what they need to do to win the challenge.
Martin Strickson, Elsoms Seeds said: “The objective is to increase national awareness of carrots as a British crop, particularly through encouraging children to get outdoors, increase their understanding of where their food comes from and get creative at mealtimes with carrots.
“Many commercial growers in the UK buy their seed from Elsoms Seeds and we wish to promote their varieties as reliable, fast germinating and fun to grow for school gardening.
He adds: “Together with the British Carrot Growers’ Association, we are creating a supportive, experiential learning experience to connect children with the environment, nutrition and to stimulate the joy of growing food.”
Rodger Hobson added: “The compelling carrot statistics and stories will really resonate with primary school teachers and their pupils, tying in to so many aspects of the curriculum – including history, biology, geography and maths. Carrots are also fascinating – they are unusual in being harvested all year round, and they are a great self-sufficiency story – the UK production exceeds 700,000 tonnes supplying around 97% of the country’s carrot consumption. In terms of fun facts our annual production equates to the weight of 70 Eiffel Towers and provides around 100 carrots each for every member of the UK population.”
He also noted the economic value is worth mention: “Carrots are also worth £290 million to the UK economy and yet, they are one of the cheapest vegetables to buy.”
Applications to schools are now open and will work on a first come first serve basis, attracting up to 20 schools across the country. The deadline to apply is Thursday 30 April and each successful applicant will receive their seeds and QR code with further guidance and resources shortly after submission.
The competition requires submission of:
- A carrot diary. Judges will be looking for the most detailed and creative log, with writing and imagery to demonstrate the pupils’ understanding of growing their carrots. A written and photographed log at each stage of growing the carrots – points will be awarded for demonstration of the participants understanding and care for carrots.
- A three-course carrot menu. Judges will be looking for the best presented and creative recipes to be cooked by a professional chef and posted on social media.
- A carrot harvest celebration photo. This can be before or after washing carrots and displayed as creatively as you like with both the carrots and pupils. The winning image may be used on the BCGA’s next Facebook cover image.
A member of Elsoms Seeds and the BCGA will judge the entries based on:
- The best designed and detailed ‘carrot diary’
- Creativity in their recipes and best presented menu
- Knowledge and understanding of growing carrots
- Best image of carrots
The winning school team will win a digital certificate to download, a £200 National Garden Gift Card’, and a fully funded opportunity to visit a farm, depending on location, to meet with a farmer and discover more about growing carrots on a farm scale.
To apply for this fun and exciting competition, please enter via the form here.
The competition closes on 30th October 2026.
