Fancy playing a prank on your class today?

Well, it’s April 1st, and so that means time to see if the students fall for my April Fool news story!

This is a completely false but, in my (modest) opinion, quite believable, news story and I’ve used it for two years now to fool successive classes of students. See if you can trick yours too!
(for added authenticity it’s also often worth adding a newspaper or website logo at the top before printing it out)

Ban on UK wine heading across the Channel

Kent farmers have suffered a major setback in their diversification plans this week. In recent years, many have taken advantage of Kent’s sunny disposition to abandon potatoes and carrots in favour of grapes. These grapes aren’t for eating, however, but for turning into wine.

The local market for these products has been growing significantly in recent years and now producers, including Matthew Edwards of Tenterden vineyards, have decided to take their bottles across the Channel in search of more customers.

However, French wine producers have reacted angrily to the arrival of Mr Edwards’ bottles at the weekly food markets in Calais and Boulogne.

And it could appear they have the French government on their side, as it has now banned Kentish wine from being sold in France, claiming that the grapes haven’t been fermented in the proper way, and so could present a health risk to consumers.

‘A spurious allegation, and one without any scientific basis’ is Mr Edwards’ furious response to the French food safety department. He plans to appeal to the European Commission, citing the E.U.’s commitment to free trade of goods between all European countries.

For now, though, he’ll have to stick to selling his wine on this side of the English Channel.

Published Friday 27th March 2011