For delivery of the Summer 2023 Hakuna Fruitata project Bring It On Brum! partnered with national company Minor Weir and Willis (MWW) to supply fresh produce across the city. A key aspect of Hakuna Fruitata is to provide high quality, practical, interactive and engaging opportunities for young people to explore and experience fruit and vegetables.
Working with MWW Bring It On Brum! were able to supply high quality Class 1 produce to over 4,500 young people. Products ranged from passion fruit and flat peaches to various berries and baby sweetcorn. Young people made a wide variety of recipe’s from fruit sundaes and kebabs, trifle and crumbles to pitta pizza’s, guacamole and overnight oats. Creativity also led to fruit cones, ice lollies, face masks, blind taste tests and soups and sauces for meals.
‘Over 90% of children didn’t recognise passion fruit and had never tasted it before – but absolutely loved it! And over half of children hadn’t tried a blackberry before. Having tasted these for the first time, they were them amazed to find them growing on the brambles in the surrounding bushes on site!’ Pam Noel, Bring It On Brum!
Holiday club leaders were surprised that a lot of children didn’t recognise blackberries, and hadn’t seen or tasted them before. Children enjoyed tasting and eating them including them in smoothies, fruit sundaes and ice pops encouraged by their colour as well. One provider shared that whilst playing on the fields they had spotted blackberries growing in the brambles and had never previously realised what they were or that they could eat them.
What our providers said:
- 95% of providers said that without the Hakuna Fruitata resources they wouldn’t have been able to provide such rich experiences for the young people
- 95% rated the cooking equipment as being the most useful resource, having the biggest impact
- 100% felt the fresh produce had ensured a very rich and varied experience not previously provided
- Food tasting and making fruit things (sundaes, kebabs, salad and smoothies) were the top activities over the summer