A playlist of sounds and texts to accompany or follow the meal…
| Author | Title | Date | Publisher |
| Budge, E. A. Wallis | The divine origin of the craft of the herbalist | 1996 | Cornerstone Publishers |
| Burnett, Elizabeth-Jane | The grassling: a geological memoir | 2020 | Penguin Books |
| Casid, Jill H. | Sowing Empire: Landscape and Colonisation | 2004 | University of Minnesota |
| Certeau, Michel de; Giard, Luce; Mayol, Pierre | The practice of everyday life. volume 2: Living and cooking | 1998 | University of Minnesota Press |
| Chamovitz, Daniel | What a plant knows: a field guide to the senses of your garden – and beyond | 2012 | Oneworld |
| Culpeper, Nicholas | Culpeper’s complete herbal & English physician | 2011 | Applewood Books |
| Diacono, Mark | A Year at Otter Farm. | 2014 | Bloomsbury Publishing Plc |
| ed. Ying, Chris | You and I eat the same: on the countless ways food and cooking connect us to one another | 2018 | MAD/Artisan |
| Fowler, Corinne | Green unpleasant land: creative responses to rural Britain’s colonial connections | 2020 | Peepal Tree Press |
| Hayes, Nick | The book of trespass: crossing the lines that divide us | 2020 | Bloomsbury Circus |
| Kimmerer, Robin Wall | Braiding sweetgrass: indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants | 2020 | Milkweed Editions |
| Kincaid, Jamaica; Fox, Jill | My garden (book) | 2001 | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Laughton, Rebecca | Surviving and thriving on the land: how to use your time and energy to run a successful smallholding | 2008 | Green Books |
| Lippard, Lucy R. | The lure of The Local: senses of place in a multi-centred society | 2007 | The New Press |
| McGee, Harold | McGee on food & cooking: an encyclopedia of kitchen science, history and culture | 2004 | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Mollona, Massimiliano | Art-commons: anthropology beyond capitalism | 2021 | ZED |
| Monbiot, George | Feral: rewilding the land, the sea, and human life | 2014 | Penguin Books |
| Morton, Timothy | Dark ecology: for a logic of future coexistence | 2018 | Columbia University Press |
| Myers, William; Antonelli, Paola | Bio design: nature + science + creativity | 2012 | Thames and Hudson Ltd |
| Percival, Bronwen; Percival, Francis | Reinventing the wheel: milk, microbes, and the fight for real cheese | 2017 | University of California Press |
| Rebanks, James | English pastoral: an inheritance | 2020 | Allen Lane |
| Redzepi, René; Zilber, David | The Noma guide to fermentation: foundations of flavor | 2018 | Artisan |
| Sheldrake, Merlin | Entangled life: how fungi make our worlds, change our minds and shape our futures | 2020 | The Bodley Head |
| Shiva and Bartholomew | Sacred seed | 2014 | The Golden Sufi Center Publishing |
| Shiva, Vandana | Reclaiming the commons: biodiversity, indigenous knowledge, and the rights of Mother Earth | 2020 | Synergetic Press |
| Sievers-Glotzbach, Stefanie; Tschersich, Julia; Gmeiner, Nina; Kliem, Lea; Ficiciyan, Anoush | Diverse Seeds – Shared Practices: Conceptualizing Seed Commons | 2020 | International Journal of the Commons |
| Smaje, Chris | A small farm future: making the case for a society built around local economies, self-provisioning, agricultural diversity, and a shared earth | 2020 | Chelsea Green Publishing |
| Solnit, Rebecca | The faraway nearby | 2014 | Viking Books |
| The Center for Genomic Gastronomy | FOOD PHREAKING | – | – |
| Tsing, Anna Lowenhaupt | The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins | 2017 | Princeton University Press |
| Watson, Julia; Davis, Wade | Lo-TEK: design by radical indigenism | 2020 | Taschen |
| White, Florence; Grant, Duncan | Good things in England: a practical cookery book for everyday use : containing traditional and regional recipes suited to modern tastes contributed by English men and women between 1399 and 1932 | 2003 | Persephone Books |
FOOD STORIES
- OLD HALL FARM DAIRY
MILK | BUTTER | YOGHURT |CREAM | EGGS
OLD HALL FARM ARE ONE OF A HANDFUL OF COW WITH CALF DAIRIES IN ENGLAND, WHICH MEANS THEY ALLOW THEIR BEAUTIFUL GRASS FED JERSEY TO KEEP THEIR CALVES WITH THEM RATHER THAN WEANING THEM AT BIRTH (USUALLY 6-8 MONTHS BUT THIS CAN BE LONGER DEPENDING ON THE COW AND CALF PAIR). THEIR LOVE FOR THEIR ANIMALS LEADS ALL THEIR DECISION-MAKING. THEY USE SIMPLE ARTISAN PROCESSES FOR ALL OF THEIR PRODUCTS, AND BELIEVE IN QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. - HODMEDODS
FAVA BEANS | BORLOTTI BEANS
NICK SALTMARSH, JOSIAH MELDRUM AND WILLIAM HUDSON FOUNDED HODMEDOD IN 2012 TO SUPPLY BEANS AND OTHER PRODUCTS FROM BRITISH FARMS. THEY WORK WITH BRITISH FARMS TO SOURCE A RANGE OF TOP QUALITY INGREDIENTS AND DELICIOUS FOODS. THEY’RE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN SEARCHING OUT LESS WELLKNOWN FOODS, LIKE THE FAVA BEAN IN OUR CASSOULET – GROWN IN BRITAIN SINCE THE IRON AGE BUT NOW ALMOST FORGOTTEN – AND BLACK BADGER PEAS. - GROWING UNDERGROUND
MICROGREENS
ZERO CARBON FARMS GROW FRESH MICROGREENS AND SALAD LEAVES 33 METRES BELOW THE BUSY STREETS OF CLAPHAM. USING THE LATEST HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS AND LED TECHNOLOGY, THEIR CROPS ARE GROWN YEAR-ROUND IN A PESTICIDE-FREE ENVIRONMENT USING 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY. THEIR GREENS ARE UNAFFECTED BY THE WEATHER AND SEASONAL CHANGES, AND THANKS TO THEIR PRIME LOCATION, THEY CAN DRASTICALLY REDUCE THE FOOD MILES FOR RETAILERS AND CONSUMERS. THEIR HYDROPONICS SYSTEM USES 70% LESS WATER THAN TRADITIONAL OPEN-FIELD FARMING, AND ALL NUTRIENTS ARE KEPT WITHIN THE CLOSEDLOOP REMOVING ANY RISK OF AGRICULTURAL RUN-OFF. - NOUR CASH + CARRY
SPICES
NOUR CASH AND CARRY HAS BEEN A MAJOR PART OF THE BRIXTON COMMUNITY SINCE 2002 WHEN IT WAS FOUNDED BY SALAM SHAHEEN, JUST A FEW YEARS AFTER FLEEING THE GULF WAR IN IRAQ. NAMED AFTER SALAM’S DAUGHTER, NOUR IS STILL A FAMILY BUSINESS AND IS CHERISHED BY LOCALS WHO RECENTLY SUCCESSFULLY CAMPAIGNED TO PREVENT ITS IMPENDING CLOSURE BY DEVELOPERS. EVERY NIGHT SALAM VISITS COVENT GARDEN MARKET AND STOCKS HIS SHOP WITH THE DIVERSE RANGE OF FRESH VEGETABLES, HERBS, SPICES AND BAKERY PRODUCTS THAT MAKE IT SO POPULAR. IT HAS A SPECIAL PLACE IN CHERRY’S HEART, FOR YEARS SHE HAS VISITED NOUR AS YOU WOULD A LIBRARY. IT IS AN EXTRAORDINARY RESOURCE. - LONDON HONEY CO.
HONEYCOMB
IN 1999 STEVE BENBOW WAS MISSING HIS RURAL SHROPSHIRE ROOTS AND WANTED TO BRING A BIT OF THE COUNTRYSIDE INTO LONDON, SO HE INSTALLED HONEYBEES ON HIS ROOF NEAR TOWER BRIDGE. WITH URBAN BEEKEEPING ALMOST UNHEARD OF AT THE TIME, THIS SIMPLE ACT CAPTURED THE ZEITGEIST: AN APPETITE FOR PURE NATURAL FOOD TO BE BROUGHT BACK INTO THE HEART OF THE CITY, FOR FOOD TO COME STRAIGHT FROM WHERE IT IS MADE WITHOUT INTERFERENCE AND TO LET A QUALITY INGREDIENT SPEAK FOR ITSELF. THE LONDON HONEY COMPANY WAS BORN. - ED’S VEG
BEETROOT | SALADS | SQUASH
ED IS A MARKET GARDENER. HE GROWS ON AN ACRE OF FARMLAND IN THE BEAUTIFUL HAMPSHIRE COUNTRYSIDE, WHERE HE GREW UP. HE CARES DEEPLY ABOUT THE LOCAL WILDLIFE AND ECOLOGY AND WANTS TO LOOK AFTER THE LAND AND GROW REALLY GOOD QUALITY FOOD FOR THE PEOPLE WHO SHARE IT WITH HIM. HIS SALADS ARE BROUGHT ON FROM ORGANIC SEED IN POLY TUNNELS, HE CUTS THE SALAD AT DAWN AS HE WATCHES THE SUN COME UP, SO IT ARRIVES FRESH AND GLISTENING WITH MORNING DEW. ED USES SUSTAINABLE AND LOW CARBON GROWING METHODS, NO PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES OR CHEMICAL FERTILISERS. HIS GARDEN PRODUCES VERY LITTLE WASTE AND THE ‘FOOD MILES’ ARE EXTREMELY LOW. THE LAND IS HOME TO LIZARDS, TOADS, SLOW WORMS, ALL SORTS OF INSECTS AND THE BIRDS THAT FEED ON THEM. THE LAND OWNER ALSO KEEPS THE SURROUNDING FARMLAND WITH THE SAME PRINCIPLES. - COPPER RIVET DISTILLERY
WHISKEY
COPPER RIVET ARE THE ONLY SPIRIT MAKER IN KENT, AND ONE OF JUST A FEW IN THE UK THATUNDERTAKES THE COMPLETEPROCESS OF BREWING ANDDISTILLING FROM GRAIN TO GLASS. SET IN THE HISTORIC AND MAGNIFICENT VICTORIAN PUMP HOUSE NO. 5 IN THE HISTORIC CHATHAM DOCKYARD ON THE THAMES ESTUARY, THE DISTILLERY IS OPEN FOR TOURS. THEY USE KENTISH GRAIN GROWN WITHIN 20 MILES OF THE DISTILLERY, WORKING CLOSELY WITH LOCAL FARMERS TO FOLLOW THE GROWTH OF THE GRAIN IN THE FIELD. AS A RESULT, THEY KNOW WHAT FIELD EVERY GRAIN HAS GROWN IN THAT GOES INTO EACH SMALL BATCH THEY PRODUCE, AND THUS EVERY GLASS, WHICH HELPS THEM CONTROL THE QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY OF EVERY DROP. THE MASTHOUSE WHISKY SINGLEMALT (POT DISTILLED) FEATURES IN OUR WHISKEY SOUR COCKTAILS AND IS INSPIRED BY THE ANCIENT CRAFT OF SHIP MAST-MAKING AT CHATHAM’S ROYAL DOCKYARD, WHERE IT IS DISTILLED. IT IS MADE WITH 100% BELGRAVIA BARLEY GROWN AT 40 ACRE FIELD. ONLY THE BEST EARLY HARVEST WHEAT, BARLEY AND RYE ARE SELECTED TO BE USED TO CRAFT THIS EXCEPTIONAL SPIRIT. THE MASH UNDERGOES A LONG FERMENTATION BEFORE BEING POT DISTILLED AND THEN AGED IN A COMBINATION OF FIRST FILL AMERICAN OAK BOURBON AND VIRGIN OAK BARRELS. - ECKLEY FARMS
RAPESEED OIL
GUY AND CLAIRE ECKLEY GROW WHEAT, OILSEED RAPE, BARLEY, OATS, BEANS AND LINSEED AT THEIR FARM NEAR STAPLEHURST. THEY ALSO GROW A WIDE VARIETY OF CROPS TO BENEFIT THE SOIL, UNDERNEATH THE PLANTS TO BE HARVESTED, OR BETWEEN CROPS. THEY TRY TO HAVE LIVING ROOTS IN THE SOIL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, TO INCREASE CARBON CONTENT. THIS FARMING METHOD IS PART OF REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE. #REGENAG. THEY ARE PROUD OF HOW WE FARM AND THE FOOD WE PRODUCE AND WE FARM TO A HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARD AND THEIR RAPESEED OIL HAS A FLAVOUR THAT HOLDS ITS OWN AGAINST THE BEST MEDITERRANEAN OLIVE OILS. - BIDDENDENS VINEYARDS ORCHARDS
MEAD | CIDER | APPLE JUICE
ORIGINALLY HOME TO A 40 ACRE APPLE ORCHARD, THE BARNES FAMILY STARTED TO CONSIDER DIVERSIFYING THE BIDDENDEN APPLE FARM IN THE LATE 1960S AS APPLE PRICES BEGAN TO DECLINE. AFTER LISTENING TO A FEATURE ON THE BBC’S WOMAN’S HOUR PROGRAMME ABOUT ENGLISH VINEYARDS BEING REPLANTED, JOYCE BARNES WAS INSPIRED TO TURN TO VITICULTURE. IN 1969, ONE THIRD OF AN ACRE OF VINES WAS PLANTED AND BIDDENDEN VINEYARDS WAS BORN. THE BIDDENDEN SPECIAL MEAD (HONEY WINE) IS MADE TO AN ANCIENT RECIPE BUT USING MODERN METHODS FROM FERMENTED FRUIT AND HONEY. - WHITSTABLE OYSTER CO.
OYSTERS
THE WHITSTABLE OYSTER FISHERY COMPANY TRACES ITS ROOTS BACK TO 1793, WHEN IT WAS SET UP BY AN ACT OF PARLIAMENT, BUT OYSTERS HAVE BEEN A PART OF WHITSTABLE’S HISTORY FOR FAR LONGER. THE FISHERY GROWS PACIFIC ROCK OYSTERS ON THEIR FAMOUS OYSTER BEDS AND ARE GUARANTEED IN THEIR PROVENANCE BY HAVING A PROTECTED PGI STATUS (PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATOR) STATUS WHICH ENSURES THEIR QUALITY. THE OYSTERS ARE PURCHASED AS SEED AND THEN PUT INTO MESH BAGS AND PLACED ON TOP OF THE METAL TRESTLES ON THE FARM THAT CAN BE SEEN OFF WHITSTABLE AT LOW TIDE. ONCE THEY REACH MARKETABLE SIZE, THEY ARE THEN BROUGHT IN TO BE PURIFIED IN THE DEPURATION SYSTEM AT THE EAST QUAY AND THEN ON TO MARKET. THIS WHOLE PROCESS TAKES BETWEEN 18 MONTHS AND 2 YEARS - FORAGER LTD
SEAWEED | WILD GARLIC CAPERS
FORAGER WAS FOUNDED BY MILES IRVING IN 2003. THEY CELEBRATE NEW YET ANCIENT FLAVOURS, REDISCOVERING NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES OF WILD PLANTS AND RECONNECTING WITH THE LAND. THIS VITAL LINK IS HOW THEY THRIVE; EATING WELL AND WORKING WITH THE WILD ECOLOGY OF PLACES. THEY ARE WONDERSTRUCK BY NATURE’S ABUNDANCE - BROCKMANS ORGANICS
POTATOES | SUN CHOKES |APPLES | PEARS | CARROTS |CELERY | SPROUTS
BROCKMANS ARE KENT’S FIRST ORGANIC AND BIODYNAMIC FARM AND THEY’VE BEEN GROWING AND DELIVERING ORGANIC FOOD IN THE SOUTH EAST AND LONDON FOR NEARLY 70 YEARS. TRADITIONAL CROP ROTATION IS USED FOR FERTILITY BUILDING AS WELL AS WEED, PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL. THE LAND HAS NOW BEEN FREE OF PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES AND FUNGICIDES FOR UP TO FIVE DECADES, DURING THIS PERIOD THE SOILS HAVE IMPROVED, SHOWING HIGHER ORGANIC MATTER LEVELS AS WELL AS INCREASED BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY AND IMPROVED SOIL STRUCTURE. CROP YIELDS HAVE ALSO INCREASED OVER THIS PERIOD. THE FARM PRACTICES BIODYNAMIC FARMING AND PLACES GREAT IMPORTANCE ON BREED AND VARIETY SELECTION FOR QUALITY AND TASTE. - TERLINGHAM VINEYARD
SPARKLING WINE | GIN
THE WILKS FAMILY MOVED TO HAWKINGE FROM SOUTH AFRICA IN 2011, RETURNING TO THEIR KENTISH ROOTS AFTER 2 GENERATIONS OF BUILDING LIVES FAR AWAY – SOMETHING CALLED THEM BACK. THEY NEVER PLANNED TO START A VINEYARD, BUT WHEN THEY FOUND TERLINGHAM, NESTLED BETWEEN THE HILLS ABOVE FOLKESTONE, WITH A MAGICAL BREEZE COMING IN OFF THE SEA TO AIR THE VINES, THEY KNEW IT WAS AN IMPORTANT MOMENT. DAD, GRAHAM, IN HIS 60S, WENT TO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, WHILST MUM LORNA (A LANDSCAPE GARDENER BY TRADE) GOT TO GRIPS WITH THE LAND. GRADUALLY EASING AWAY FROM THE CHEMICAL INPUTS USED BY THEIR PREDECESSORS, IT TOOK THEM 7 YEARS TO BEGIN PRODUCING A FULLY ‘NATURAL’ WINE. THE WHOLE PROCESS IS DONE BY HAND, FROM TENDING THE VINES TO TURNING THE BOTTLES – WITH AWARD-WINNING RESULTS. - RE:STOCK KENT
FLOUR | DRIED AND TINNED GOODS
RE:STOCK IS A REFILL, LOW WASTE SHOP BASED IN FOLKESTONE, STOCKING A WIDE RANGE OF DRIED FOOD AND ECO-FRIENDLY HOUSEHOLD CLEANING PRODUCTS. SET UP BY EMMA IN 2020, IT IS THE FIRST STAGE OF HER VISION FOR A CIRCULAR TRANS-LOCAL ECONOMY. SHE PLANS TO BUILD A HUB WITH A COMMUNITY KITCHEN, A WORKSHOP SPACE FOR FIXING AND REPURPOSING MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL OBJECTS AND A CO-WORKING SPACE. SHE PRIORITISES ACCESSIBLY PRICED AND ETHICALLY PRODUCED PRODUCTS, BUT THIS INCLUDES A WIDE RANGE OF LOCALLY PRODUCED FOOD ITEMS. - FOLKESTONE TRAWLERS
HUSS|HAKE
FOLKESTONE TRAWLERS CAN BE FOUND AT NO. 1 THE FISH MARKET IN FOLKESTONE, THE CENTRAL SPOT OF THE HISTORIC FISHING INDUSTRY, WHICH HAS SEEN IT’S FLEET DECIMATED FROM 22 BOATS TO JUST FOUR. THERE’S ALWAYS DEBATE IN THE SHOP ABOUT WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THE DECLINE IN THE INDUSTRY AND A RELUCTANCE TO TALK ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TRAWLING BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SENSE OF PRECARITY THAT IS FELT BY THE FISHER FOLK. BUT THERE IS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT WASTING LIFE MUST BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS, SO HUSS (DOGFISH/ROCK SALMON) – A ‘BY-CATCH’ OF TRAWLING FOR FLAT FISH – CAN BE FOUND ON THE ICE ALONGSIDE ITS PRICIER COUSINS. - THE LOCAVORE GROWING PROJECT
HERBS
THE LOCAVORE GROWING PROJECT IS A COMMUNITY FOOD GROWING INITIATIVE BASED IN FOLKESTONE, KENT AND RUN BY CUSTOM FOOD LAB. THEY ARE COMMITTED TO URGENT ACTION TO ACHIEVE RESILIENT LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS WORKING FROM THE GROUND UP. THEY WORK WITH COMMUNITY GROWING SPACES, INTERGENERATIONAL CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT IN FOOD GROWING AND BY TRYING TO CONNECT EXISTING PROJECTS TOGETHER TO WORK TOWARDS A COLLECTIVE FUTURE. - SONGBIRD WINES
TABLE WINES
SONGBIRD WINES IS A KENT BASED WINE MERCHANT WITH A FOCUS IS ON QUALITY WINE CREATED BY BOUTIQUE GROWERS FROM ITALY, SPAIN AND FRANCE. THE COMPANY WAS STARTED IN 2014 BY JONNY WREN, WHO WORKED WITH CUSTOM FOOD LAB TO SOURCE WINES FROM SUSTAINABLE VINEYARDS AND SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITIES FOR THEIR RESTAURANT CUSTOM FOLKESTONE. SONGBIRD WINES IS NOW ONE OF THE LEADING WINE MERCHANTS IN THE SOUTH EAST OFFERING EXCITING AND UNIQUE WINES TO RESTAURANTS, BARS AND PRIVATE CLIENTS.
So much of the learning and building of relationships around these stories has come through the Landworkers Alliance:
THE LANDWORKERS ALLIANCE ARE A UNION OF FARMERS, GROWERS, FORESTERS AND LAND-BASED WORKERS WITH A MISSION TO IMPROVE THE LIVELIHOODS OF OUR MEMBERS AND CREATE A BETTER FOOD AND LAND-USE SYSTEM FOR EVERYONE. THEY WORK FOR A FUTURE WHERE PRODUCERS CAN WORK WITH DIGNITY TO EARN A DECENT LIVING AND EVERYONE CAN ACCESS LOCAL, HEALTHY AND AFFORDABLE FOOD, FUEL AND FIBRE – A FOOD AND LAND-USE SYSTEM BASED ON AGROECOLOGY AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY THAT FURTHERS SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. LWA ARE THE UK EMBODIMENT OF LA VIA CAMPESINA, AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF OVER 200 MILLION PEASANTS, SMALL-SCALE FARMERS AND AGRICULTURAL WORKERS UNIONS AROUND THE WORLD. THEY WORK TOGETHER THEM TO ACHIEVE A GLOBAL VISION OF AGROECOLOGY, FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY.
THE MENU FOR THIS EVENT WAS PRINTED BY OXFORD GREEN PRINT – A WORKERS’ CO-OP PROVIDING ECO-FRIENDLY PRINT SERVICES TO OXFORD AND BEYOND. THEY USED RISOGRAPH TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS VERY GREEN, GOOD VALUE AND CREATES NO WASTE. IT WAS PRINTED ON 100% POST-CONSUMER RECYCLED PAPER AND CARD, WITH NON-TOXIC VEG-OIL INKS oxfordgreenprint.com