A CHANCE meeting between a teacher and TV farmer Adam Henson led to a Countryfile film crew descending on a school in Taunton.

Adam showcased the opportunities available to pupils at Queen's College to learn how to grow and rear food on the BBC1 show on Sunday (July 24).

He was joined by celebrity chef Michael Caines, who taught pupils how to prepare and cook up the food in the school’s kitchen classrooms.

The opportunity arose following a meeting between Joe Mann, Queen's head of food and nutrition, and Countryfile presenter Adam Henson at the Eat Game Awards in London.

Mr Mann, named Best Teacher in England by the British Nutrition Foundation in its 2020 Education Awards, told Adam about his field-to-fork approach to teaching.

He explained how he wanted to get some school pigs to educate his students about where their food comes from, in conjunction with his productive kitchen garden already located at the school.

Adam agreed to provide the pigs and to film it for Countryfile.

The first segment opened with Adam rounding up two lively 10-week-old Berkshire piglets to sell to Mr Mann, before showing a small group of Queen’s students taking delivery of them at their new home.

The piglets, George and Percy, will be looked after over the holidays by Queen’s prep pupils Ben and Isabelle.

Mr Mann said: “There is a lot of disconnect about where food comes from, and my aim is to address this in my role at Queen’s College.

"Students at Queen’s already grow their own produce in the school’s vegetable garden, but I also want them to understand where meat comes from and how animals are responsibly reared.”

During filming in the school’s vegetable garden, pupils were seen harvesting home-grown onions and garlic.

The programme featured the growing and harvesting of a selection of organic fruit and vegetables pupils had grown.

Then there was a surprise visit from Michael Caines, who conducted a cooking masterclass.

He said: "Congratulations to Joe Mann and the team at Queen’s College, and not forgetting the pupils who were amazing.

"I was pleased to be asked to visit the school and to get involved to help inspire the children.

"This was a great platform for all the great work done and achieved at Queen’s College in food teaching".

If you missed Countryfile on Sunday, or want to watch it again, click HERE.