Inspiring Future Generations with Wild Food at Wooler’s Countryside Day
The Children’s Countryside Day 2025, hosted at Glendale Showground in Wooler, Northumberland, welcomed nearly 1,700 primary school children from across the North East. Among over 70 rural exhibitors, Eat Wild, in partnership with Turnbull’s Northumbrian Food and Northumberland Estates, stood out with a hands-on wild food experience that delighted kids, teachers, and organisers alike.
Eat Wild’s Farm-to-Fork Experience
Eat Wild showcased the best of local, sustainable wild game, serving up:
🦌 1,200 venison burgers
🌭 800 pheasant sausages
🍝 500 portions of pheasant bolognese
The goal? To introduce children to the benefits of eating wild game while supporting local farming and wildlife conservation.
Why Wild Game?
Wild meat is nutritious, sustainable, and naturally free-range, making it a powerful teaching tool for food education. Louisa Clutterbuck, Managing Director of Eat Wild, emphasised how cooking and serving wild food on-site helped children learn about their food’s origin, from field to fork.
Learning Beyond the Plate: Farming, Food & Forestry
This popular agricultural education event in Northumberland included:
Live butchery demos
Livestock displays
GPS tractors and robotic milkers
Forestry and gamekeeping education
Conservation talks on salmon, deer, and woodland biodiversity
Kids got to touch, taste, and try everything, with many asking curious questions about farming, wildlife, and technology. The event bridges the gap between modern children—many from urban environments—and the rural food systems that support their lives.
A Message That Lasts
Eat Wild’s mission is about more than delicious wild meat. It's about inspiring the next generation to understand sustainable food systems, biodiversity, and countryside careers. By engaging children directly, they hope to spark interest in future farmers, butchers, chefs, and conservationists.
Fast Facts About Children’s Countryside Day:
19th year of the event
70+ exhibitors and stewards
Over 29,000 children educated since launch
Focus on rural education, conservation, and sustainable food
Why Eat Wild’s Presence Matters
As many children today are disconnected from nature and food production, events like this are vital. Eat Wild offers a unique blend of wild food education, interactive cooking, and ethical sourcing, helping make countryside knowledge accessible and exciting.
Final Thoughts
Eat Wild’s appearance at the 2025 Northumberland Children’s Countryside Day in Wooler wasn’t just a highlight—it was a heartfelt reminder that food, when shared and explained well, can be a bridge between people, land, and the future. Through their food and their passion, Eat Wild made a lasting impression on hundreds of young minds.
Interested in learning more about Eat Wild’s mission or bringing wild food education to your school or event? Visit Eat Wild’s website or follow them on social media for upcoming events and initiatives.
@letseatwild on Instagram