Garden to Table Trust turns 10.

Supporters of Garden to Table came together to celebrate 10 years of the Trust and the launch of Catherine Bell’s BOUNTY, cooking with vegetables.

The evening was a time for both reflection on how far edible education has come in New Zealand and also looking forward to where to next. Ambassadors Al Brown, Niki Bezzant and Dan MacKay were there as were two of the original pilot schools, Meadowbank School and East Tamaki School.

More on BOUNTY:

Bounty has been published in celebration of the first ten years of national food education charity Garden to Table Trust. The book celebrates the cause that champions growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing vegetable-based meals. Entitled Bounty – Cooking with Vegetables, all profits from the sale of the book will go directly to the Trust enabling it to provide more Kiwi primary-aged children with the fundamental life skills of gardening and cooking for themselves. 

Written by Catherine Bell, co-founder of the Garden to Table Trust, Bounty – Cooking with Vegetables is more than just a recipe book, lovingly crafted for both cooks and gardeners alike. 

Each chapter heroes a specific vegetable group, offering growing information alongside 80 simple and delicious recipes for preparing them, ranging from snacks and starters, to sides and salads, main dishes and even baking. Examples include greens and feta pancakes, South Indian stir-fried corn, and capsicum and oregano galette. 

Peppered throughout the book are practical and encouraging facts and suggestions, designed to make growing and cooking both easy and fun, such as uses for otherwise discarded items. Did you know tomato skins can be dried in the oven and ground with salt to make tomato flavoured seasoning? 

Catherine Bell is looking forward to spreading the Garden to Table ethos from the school yard to home cooks across the country with the beautifully crafted Bounty recipes and useful gardening tips. 

“As Garden to Table celebrates a decade of food education across New Zealand, I’m thrilled to launch Bounty – Cooking with Vegetables and guide home cooks through the root to tip process of growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing delicious food together. 

“My primary aspiration is for this book to enable the Garden to Table programme to reach more primary schools and change the way children approach and think about food. There are still 230,000 children around the country who are not yet benefitting from vital food education and I hope this will enable the Trust to grow its reach. 

“Beyond that, my hope is for Bounty to be an incentive for quality family time, from dedicating time to tending the humble vegetable plot, to sharing a nutritious homemade meal at the dinner table.” 

Illustrated throughout with lovely images from Garden to Table schools from around the country, Bounty – Cooking with Vegetables also celebrates some of Garden to Table’s heroes such as the first school principals, specialists, and volunteers who have supported the programme for the last ten years. To top it off, Garden to Table’s ambassadors, Al Brown, Niki Bezzant and Dan MacKay, have shared their foodie insights and green-fingered wisdom. 

Commenting on the launch of the book, Garden to Table Executive Officer Linda Taylor says the charity’s end goal is to raise enough funds to ensure all communities are able to take part in attaining the life skills provided by the programme. 

“When children are taught how to grow and cook food for themselves, they’re gifted an empowered and self-sufficient future, something everyone deserves. We need our programme to reach every primary school across the country to impact the future in the biggest way possible.” “We are very grateful that Catherine has poured her heart and wisdom into this cookbook, with all proceeds going towards giving Kiwi children a chance at a brighter future and promoting family time as the most important part of any day.” 

The Garden to Table programme currently operates in 176 New Zealand primary schools, positively impacting around 23,000 children through years 3-6. 

Bounty will be available to purchase from November 2019 for RRP $39.95, with 100 percent of sales proceeds going directly to the Garden to Table Trust.