Chef on the Farm Day at Washingpool Farm

Symondsbury Primary School Year 3/4  accepted the invitation to join us at our very first Chef on the Farm event – hands-on cooking with Andy Tyrell, co-owner and chef at the Soulshine Restaurant in Bridport.

Andy designed the day to enable the children to truly experience how they could make and enjoy a delicious feast from local seasonal ingredients.

The menu:

  • Cream cheese
  • Flat Breads
  • Beef Kebabs
  • Stir Fry chard
  • Pearl barley and chard
  • Radish, herb and cabbage coleslaw
  • Nettle & herb pesto
  • Rhubarb crumble

The children picked and collected the chard, radishes, herbs, rhubarb and nettles from the Washingpool Farm poly tunnels and fields.  They sourced other ingredients from the farm shop.  They then prepared and cooked the dishes and finished the day by sitting down as a group to enjoy eating their feast!

Chard grown at Washingpool Farm was one of the chosen vegetables.  Here is Andy Tyrell’s recipe:

Chard, Lemon & Barley

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch of Chard
  • 150g pearl barley
  • 2/3 cloves garlic sliced thinly or grated
  • 1-2 lemons zest and juice
  • 1 small onion
  • A small bunch of your favourite soft herbs like parsley, chives, dill or basil
  • Extra virgin Olive oil

Begin by boiling the barley, it will expand a lot during cooking so allow plenty of space in the pan. Reduce the heat to simmer, season with salt and cook for about 45 minutes until tender.  Drain and run under cold water to remove excess starch.

Dice or slice the onion and soften on a gentle heat in a wide pan in olive oil until very soft, add the garlic and continue to cook on a low heat.  Meanwhile prepare the chard by washing and separating the leaves and stems.  Chop the stems and add them into the pan with onion, ideally pop a lid on top and cook on a medium heat so the stems soften, it can be a good idea to add a splash more olive oil to help things along.  Once soft, add the roughly chopped leaves and let them soften for a minute. Add the barley and warm through on a low heat, add the chopped soft herbs more seasoning and finish with lemon zest & juice to taste.  The barley is best served warm and should be rich with good olive oil and fragrant with the herbs.

It was deemed delicious by all the pupils even those that don’t normally like anything green!

Our first Chef on the Farm event was a great success and we will be running another event in 2026, look out for more information later in the year.

Lucy