A SPECIAL project on food and farming is being held to mark the centenary of the outbreak of World War One.

The Soil Association has received £9,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) through its First World War: then and now programme.

The project will work with County Durham schools to teach pupils about the issues that affected their villages in 1914 and compare them to today.

The project, called WW1 Food for Life, will explore how communities had to cook and grow their own food and make the most of what they had in a time of food shortage and rationing.

Schools will work with Beamish Museum to provide a hands-on insight to growing produce, shopping for food with a limited budget and cooking with recipes of the era.

The schools will also visit Broomhouse Farm to discover traditional farming techniques, meet the on-farm butcher and explore how every part of the carcass can be used.

The pupils will then create their own authentic produce to sell at a themed stall at Durham City Farmers’ Market. A celebration event will also be held to award success schools with their Food for Life Partnership award in Durham Town Hall.