BY Martin Dunlop | June 22 | 
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St Columba’s Primary has been down to London to visit the Queen
When quizzed on a Monday morning about how they spent their weekend, not too many school pupils have the opportunity to respond: ‘I went to London to cook lunch for the Queen.’
However, that is exactly what a group of eight primary seven pupils from St Columba’s Primary School in Oban were able to tell their teachers and friends this week.
St Columba’s very own ‘diamond jubilee chefs’ were the only pupils in Scotland, and one of only four groups of pupils from the UK, to win the Duchess of Cornwall’s competition inviting schools to create a special diamond jubilee menu for the Queen.
Oban High Pipe Band gave the St Columba’s pupils a royal send off at Oban train station last Thursday morning as they began their journey to London.
Royal welcome
Accompanied by Sarah Jane MacSween, St Columba’s headteacher, Imogen McKenna, primary seven class teacher, and Pamela Lockhart, primary seven classroom assistant, the pupils had the opportunity to meet the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall, witness their recipes being prepared by the Royal Chef and help serve the Queen and the duchess at a special reception at Buckingham Palace last Friday.
“They all had an absolutely superb time,” Ms MacSween said following the St Columba’s party’s return to the school. “They met the Queen and the duchess, who were both so lovely to them. The children loved Buckingham Palace.”
The competition has been run as part of British Food Fortnight, the national celebration of food that the Duchess of Cornwall supports.
Schools across the country were invited to create a special menu for the Queen, celebrating the food produced in their part of the country. St Columba’s winning entry involved a menu based on locally sourced foods such as salmon, mackerel, cheese, ham and duck as well as chocolates and other sweet treats.
The Oban pupils, helped by Ms McKenna and Ms Lockhart, researched the history of royal food and banquets as far back as 1066. They then visited the Scottish Seafood exhibition and worked with local businesses such as the Inverawe Smokehouse, Oban Chocolate Shop and Manor House Hotel.
The pupils also held a diamond jubilee tea party, inviting members of the local community, in particular those who were of primary 7 age at the time of the Queen’s Coronation, to sample the dishes.
Tributes
Michael Breslin, Argyll and Bute lead councillor for Education and Lifelong Learning, commented that it was a ‘tremendous achievement for the pupils at St Columba’s’ to win the competition.
“The menu sounds mouth wateringly delicious,” he said. “The children have worked really hard and it is fantastic they have this wonderful opportunity to meet the Queen in her jubilee year.”
St Columba’s diamond jubilee chefs are: Samantha Parkinson, Jessica Swan, Rebecca Campbell, Nathan Allan, Jack Forgrieve, Lucy Anderson, Niamh MacKenzie and Robert Krolikowski.
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