PUPILS have been given an insight into the history of the potato and what’s involved in growing it.

More than 200 children from 14 schools, including Hackforth & Hornby Primary School, near Bedale, and Mill Hill Community Primary School, Northallerton took part in a hands-on event run by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

The session at the Great Yorkshire Showground, in Harrogate, included acting and mime sessions about how the potato was discovered and came to be a staple part of the British diet, as well as planting and cooking workshops.

Hazel Baker, the society’s education adviser, said: “ Part of our remit as an agricultural society is to help children understand where food comes from and the important role played by British farmers.”