Root for Rooty: our new veg champion lands in schools

There's a new face in our primary school dining halls. Meet Rooty, a friendly carrot and the newest member of the Whisked family, created to make fibre, root vegetables and healthy eating genuinely fun for pupils.

More than a mascot

Nutrition messages only work if children remember them. Rooty gives us a consistent, age-

appropriate character to carry those messages, from the counter to the classroom. Rather than a one-off poster campaign, Rooty is the start of an ongoing programme that will run and evolve across the school year, introducing pupils to fibre, root vegetables beyond the everyday carrot, and why veg belongs on every plate.

The launch resource pack

To bring Rooty into schools, we've created a resource pack designed for different spaces and different kinds of learners.

Rooty's Veggie Eating Knowledge counter posters put quick, surprising facts right at the food pass. Did you know carrots weren't always orange? Early carrots were purple, yellow or white, and the orange variety we know today came later from Dutch growers. Another poster explains how the crunch in root veg comes from fibre-rich cell walls, the same fibre that helps keep energy steady through the afternoon. The posters also give our catering teams an easy talking point with pupils each week.

Root to the Top! is a snakes-and-ladders-style board game for two, four or six players. Pupils pick a root veg counter (carrot, potato, beetroot, parsnip, sweet potato or radish), make their own dice and race through the veggie patch, climbing beanstalks, dodging slugs and sliding through muddy patches on the way to becoming Champion Root of the Day. Along the way, it builds turn-taking, rule-following and quick decision-making, making it a strong fit for lunchtime clubs, wet-play sessions and breakfast club.

Rooty's Word Search offers a quieter alternative for pupils who prefer focused, independent tasks, reinforcing root veg vocabulary from beetroot to celeriac.

What's next

Rooty will keep showing up throughout the year with simple recipes pupils can try at home, seasonal menu highlights and further activity tied back to what's actually being served in the dining hall.

Download the resources

All Rooty campaign resources are available to download now from the CleverNews Portal for all clients. If you're a client and don't have access to the portal, please contact marketing@cleverchefs.co.uk.