Vertas Group Inspires Healthy Choices at Southwell Ploughing Match and Show

Our County Enterprise Foods and Education Catering teams recently attended the 2025 Southwell Ploughing Match and Show, hosted on a local carrot farm in Nottinghamshire. This year’s carrot-themed event provided a platform for us to demonstrate our commitment to locally sourced ingredients and nutritious meals for schools, nurseries, businesses, and local communities through our meals at home initiative.

The Southwell Ploughing Match and Show is one of Nottinghamshire’s largest and oldest agricultural shows, established in 1855. Hosted annually by local farmers at various venues, it’s a key social event celebrating all aspects of agriculture; from land preparation to cooking and enjoying locally produced food.

Our stand incorporated fun and educational activities for families and children, offering a range of engaging games and hands-on experiences that celebrated local produce and healthy eating. The activities included interactive guess-the-vegetable mystery boxes, cooking demonstrations provided by our educational catering team, a challenging buzz-wire game, and ‘feed the carrot to the donkey’ – a child-friendly take on ‘pin the tail on the donkey’. There were plenty more fun activities to keep everyone entertained and inspired throughout the day.

Alongside entertainment, we delighted visitors with tastings of carrot and ginger soup and carrot cake, both popular items from the County Enterprise Foods menu and made using locally grown carrots. Guests also enjoyed a vegetable stir fry, inspired by the new Teriyaki Noodle dish from one of our school menus.

Each dish was thoughtfully chosen to showcase our dedication to providing healthy, allergen-free meals that appeal to both children and adults. We received a positive response from attendees. One guest remarked, “Oh, it’s lovely! I’d never thought of putting ginger in carrot soup before.” Another expressed their appreciation for our allergen-free tasters, saying, “I’m surprised these tasters were allergen-free, which is brilliant as I was able to try them!” We also heard from several people who use our meals at home service, including one who shared, “My mum has meals at home and loves them, the driver is so kind.”

Having just begun our exciting new partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council, the show was a brilliant opportunity for us to connect with customers and reinforce our commitment to making nutritious meals for school dining and local communities.

We are proud to champion local produce and healthy eating, making a real difference in the lives of families and schools across Nottinghamshire.

For more information about our catering services, please visit our dedicated catering page.

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