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Venison is on the menu at Lochaline Primary

There’s a great new addition to the lunchtime menu at Lochaline Primary School on the Morvern peninsula: Scottish venison, straight from the neighbouring Ardtornish Estate.

The school’s new local supply comes from an agreement between Highland Council and Ardtornish, brought together by Lochaber nature restoration partnership Loch Abar Mòr. It’s a wonderful example of what happens when a community joins together to put good local food on children’s plates.

The pupil feedback is strong, the food taste’s great and being happily enjoyed across all age ranges.

Headteacher Andrew Kent said: “It’s been fantastic to include greater variety to the lunch menus with the addition of such a healthy, local product from Ardtornish, and the uptake has been great. The children are really enjoying the venison.”

Venison is a great choice for growing children, with more protein and less saturated fat than other red meats.  The school hopes to add lessons on deer management, so pupils can discover more about the landscape around them and where their food comes from.

Dee Baum, Loch Abar Mòr Partnership Manager, said: “Venison remains a niche choice of meat, so we’re keen to connect people with the deer management around them, and help them see it not as a problem, but as a resource. Where better to start than with the next generation?”

Henry Dobson, Land Manager at Ardtornish Estate, said: “I’m delighted that Ardtornish venison is being enjoyed by local school children. Supplying our local school is especially rewarding because it helps young people understand the connections between the food they eat, the people who work the land and the landscapes around them.”

We’d love to see more schools follow Lochaline’s lead. If you’re a school cook, caterer or local authority putting venison on the menu, please get in touch.

Venison is on the menu at Lochaline Primary

There’s a great new addition to the lunchtime menu at Lochaline Primary School on the Morvern peninsula: Scottish venison, straight from the neighbouring Ardtornish Estate.

The school’s new local supply comes from an agreement between Highland Council and Ardtornish, brought together by Lochaber nature restoration partnership Loch Abar Mòr. It’s a wonderful example of what happens when a community joins together to put good local food on children’s plates.

The pupil feedback is strong, the food taste’s great and being happily enjoyed across all age ranges.

Headteacher Andrew Kent said: “It’s been fantastic to include greater variety to the lunch menus with the addition of such a healthy, local product from Ardtornish, and the uptake has been great. The children are really enjoying the venison.”

Venison is a great choice for growing children, with more protein and less saturated fat than other red meats.  The school hopes to add lessons on deer management, so pupils can discover more about the landscape around them and where their food comes from.

Dee Baum, Loch Abar Mòr Partnership Manager, said: “Venison remains a niche choice of meat, so we’re keen to connect people with the deer management around them, and help them see it not as a problem, but as a resource. Where better to start than with the next generation?”

Henry Dobson, Land Manager at Ardtornish Estate, said: “I’m delighted that Ardtornish venison is being enjoyed by local school children. Supplying our local school is especially rewarding because it helps young people understand the connections between the food they eat, the people who work the land and the landscapes around them.”

We’d love to see more schools follow Lochaline’s lead. If you’re a school cook, caterer or local authority putting venison on the menu, please get in touch.