Kingussie Primary School pupils were delighted by their visit from The Honey Man – David Johnstone from Lynchat – when he joined members of Kingussie Food on Film to introduce the whole school to many aspects of beekeeping and honey production in their assembly on Thursday 14th January. David introduced himself to the children in a full beekeepers outfit, and also showed them some of his tools of the trade, including a smoker, and trays from the hive with honeycomb on them. Pupils commented on the beautiful smell as they came into the room, and asked and answered questions enthusiastically during a Powerpoint presentation by Jillian Robertson and Helen Graham. Head teacher Miss Snodgrass said “This has been a wonderful opportunity for the children to learn more about the environment and how food is produced.”
Children and staff then went on to watch a short film showing David being interviewed about bees and honey by 9 year old Kingussie pupil Hannah Robertson last autumn – called “Hannah and the Honey Man”. This film was made by Smallfilms to be screened at Kingussie’s forthcoming festival – Food On Film – which will be held in the High School on the 5th and 6th of February. The film will have two screenings on Saturday the 6th, – one at 2pm in the Food Hall, followed by honey tastings, and a second at 4.30pm in Screen 2, followed by the feature film “Bee Movie”. The Kingussie Brownies will be helping children at the Food Hall to make Balloon Bees to take home after the films and even celebrity chef Jacqueline O’Donnell will be cooking with honey to build on the Bee theme!
Jillian and Helen also launched a colouring/quiz competition with Family Film Tickets as prizes for the winners in each class. For parents wishing to leave their children at “Bee Movie” and watch the other feature, Food on Film are extremely proud to be screening 2009’s wonderful food film “Julie and Julia” starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. This film has just received joint Best Actress at the Critics Choice Awards and two Golden Globe Award nominations — one for Best Picture Comedy, and one for Best Actress in a Comedy for Meryl Streep. Having encountered problems securing permission to show it so soon after its release, Helen said “The film is so perfect for our festival that I wouldn’t take no for an answer and ended up in contact with distributers Sony in California. They then made special arrangements to get hold of a UK DVD for us, and I’m delighted to say it’s already arrived!”
Posters for the festival are now appearing around the Kingussie area, as a team of Volunteers from Caberfeidh Horizons Bookshop have gamely volunteered to distribute publicity. Some of them have also been involved in making another local film called “Christmas Pizza 2009” which will premier at the Food Hall at 12 noon. The film is of a group with learning disabilities helping to cook their own Christmas dinner. It’s a charming, lively and energetic short film that really reflects their enjoyment as they get up to their elbows in food preparation! Brad Carroll of Health and Happiness Highlands said “This is such a good opportunity for us to make a film together and to have it screened locally – the participants are very excited to be at their own “world premier” – and we really hope a lot of people will come along to support us!”
