MORE than 2000 pupils have been given a hands-on guide to growing, preparing and cooking vegetables thanks to an innovative education programme.

As first told in the Evening Times in 2015, the Class Roots project gives children who might never have seen a garden the chance to get their hands dirty.

Now in its third year, the programme will support even more young people at its base in Dumfries House, East Ayrshire.

Julia McCreadie, head of facilities management at Cordia, came up with the idea to introduce the Class Roots project.

As Cordia is the company responsible for all school meals in Glasgow, she wanted to show children where their food comes from.

She said: “The project is designed to give children the opportunity to learn more about the origins of the food we serve them every day.

“We are now in our third year of the programme and have found that as well as enjoying a fun day out, the pupils get a greater understanding of the planting, picking, and preparation processes involved in getting their school meals from plot to plate.

“It’s been an excellent way to get children thinking more about healthy foods so we are thrilled to have so many pupils and schools on board.”

Youngsters from Blackfriars Primary in the Gorbals were the latest to take part in the scheme, based in the 18th century stately home’s Pierburg Building in the Victorian Garden.

Pupils take part in workshops to prepare healthy, tasty dishes from the crops they have pulled from the soil.

Open to those from P5 to P7, the programme started up again last month and will now run until the end of March.

Dumfries House contains a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen and garden facilities which grow a number of fresh produce.

The project has proven successful since its launch in 2014 with more than 84 schools participating.

There are plans to offer a further 40 schools the opportunity to participate from August 2017 to June 2018.

Dumfries House was saved for the nation by Prince Charles in 2009 and now has a variety of projects on the go, including work for The Prince's Trust.

Pupils are given the chance to find out about growing and cooking everything from potatoes, carrots, leeks, French and runner beans to a type of kale known as Jersey Walking Stick.

Gardens also have a flower bed of pansies, which attracts bees, turns away insects that are bad for the vegetables - and are even edible.

Cordia supplies catering services on behalf of Glasgow City Council to 135 primary and 30 secondary schools.