The Secret Seed Society is a new social enterprise, encouraging children to grow and eat their own food. Established with a Millennium Grant from charity group UnLtd, they recently launched the first in a series of adventure packs. Each one contains an illustrated storybook, seeds, growing instructions and a recipe. The aim is to inspire children to follow their food on a journey — from plant to plate.

Every book tells the story of a different vegetable character, living in an urban environment called Seed City. The first adventure pack features a wonderfully presented tale about Chrissie Cress, who needs eggs to make ‘Mmm-marvellously Mad Muffin Heads’ but cannot find her chickens. The storybook comes with cress seeds and instructions showing how to grow them into the Muffin Head’s hair.

A membership card is also contained in the pack, so that children can sign up on– line to become Seed Agents. ‘Missions’ are emailed to them, which involve growing and eating, while supportive tips can be obtained from the Secret Seed Society website. One of the vegetable characters, Peter Parsnip, sends the Agents updates through the Facebook and Twitter social networking sites.

With this fun approach, which draws a balance between practical tasks, reading and online interaction, the organisation is aiming to capture the enthusiasm of children. Through them, they hope that families and communities will also be encouraged to eat more organic and fresh food, which they have grown themselves, be it on an urban balcony, in a garden or on an allotment.

Shena Cooper, co-founder of the Secret Seed Society, reveals the importance of getting people excited about home-grown food: “There aren’t many things that I’d launch in a recession but this pack makes so much sense right now. Growing your own food saves cash, reduces carbon and tastes delicious.”

Contact: Secret Seed Society,
The Old Manse, 23 High Street,
Yelvertoft, Northampton, NN6 6LE
Website: www​.secretseedsociety​.com

All the characters who inhabit Seed City are vegetable beings
Photo: courtesy of Christopher Parkes