EDUCATION chiefs are hoping that a fresh healthy-eating campaign targeted at youngsters will bear fruit.

Campaign mascots Herbie the Carrot and Rosy Apple were at Le Cateau Primary in Catterick Garrison last Tuesday to promote some of the healthier alternatives to chips and stodgy puddings during North Yorkshire's School Meals Week.

But as well as meeting the county council's mascots, the children were also invited to experiment, with exotic paws paws, star fruit and kumquats added to the usual bananas, pears and apples on the lunch time menu.

Headmaster Graham Shepherd said: "I'm not sure we'll always have such a choice for them, but it certainly went down well.

"The idea was to remind them that the healthy option is to have five portions of fruit or vegetables a day - and I think the message got across," he said.

Other projects tried during the week included the distribution of promotional material, the launch of an interactive web site and competitions linked to the Internet.