A rural Tipperary school has joined forces with a local café to grow and supply vegetables for the eaterie directly from their polytunnel.

In what is believed to be a first-of-its kind partnership in Ireland, students from Loughmore NS, deliver a plethora of vegetables daily to The Cottage, a community-owned café in the historic village, who then incorporate the fresh ingredients into their menu specials.

With the local area at the heart of everything they do, Mary Fogarty, one of the founders of the award-winning co-operative café, is delighted with the link-up. She is full of praise for the quality of the ingredients the school has been providing since April.

“I walked in this morning with a plate of vegetables, and I went around to every table and said these are from the school, and this is what you can eat today,” says Mary. “The customers were really impressed.“

While it’s been a “learning curve” for everyone, principal of Loughmore NS, Angela Dunne, says students have greatly benefitted from the outdoor classroom.