The brilliant Bristol Gleaning Network recently updated its name to become the Avon Gleaning Network, reflecting expansion to Bath and areas outside of Bristol. Today’s blog is from Coordinator Samantha Williamson about her motivations for gleaning and her aim to get more children and young people involved. Samantha is looking to connect with more farms, volunteers and food projects, so get in touch if you would like to help.
Siân Kidd writes about how a muddy encounter with a group of children at a holiday supper and play session at The Vench inspired the name of Secret Soup Society. Ingenious, yet simple, the voluntary organisation turns ‘veg on the edge’ into nourishing and delicious soup to fight food waste and feed families. We also hear from volunteer Delfina who shares her ‘Full of Beans Soup’ recipe. To date, the organisation has served over 2000 portions of soup and have a team of 10 volunteers who regularly come and cook, or rescue, food.
Pieminister and Tapestry Brewery are collaborating with Bristol Going for Gold sponsor GENeco to create a carbon neutral beer using pie pastry off-cuts. Pie-oneer will be available at Pieminister’s Stokes Croft and Broad Quay restaurants in Bristol from Friday 7 January. 10p from every can sold will go to Bristol-based charity Props, which supports adults with learning difficulties to achieve their full potential. We hear from Jon Simon, Founder and Managing Director at Pieminster, about this exciting collaboration
Tom Richardson from The Community Farm writes our latest blog about The Farm’s new campaign to coincide with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). The campaign focuses on how to choose food that’s better for the planet. Both food businesses and the citizens who eat from them have a vital role to play – find out what you can do.
The Bristol Eating Better Award is a great opportunity for food businesses to provide food that is sourced, prepared and served in a healthy and sustainable way. As part of helping make Bristol a more sustainable food city, now is a great time for food businesses to get involved and promote the opportunities presented by the award. David Hudgell from the Communities and Public Health division in Bristol City Council explains.
Lucy Bearn, Head of Food and Logistics at FareShare South West, writes the latest blog post about how Fareshare are helping Bristol and South West businesses #BiteBackBetter when it comes to their surplus. Get in touch with Lucy if you wish to discuss redirecting your surplus food.
FOOD Club Coordinator for Bristol and the South West, Simon Green (pictured above), puts the work of Bristol’s FOOD Clubs into context, describing the network of organisations that have come together to make the project work. FOOD Clubs are a partnership with Family Action, Fareshare South West, Feeding Bristol, Early Years and Children’s Centres services. The Children’s Kitchen and Incredible Edible Bristol will also bring expertise in cooking and growing.
Amy Goodwin, Community Development Worker at East Bristol Children’s Centre, and Zoe McPhail, East Bristol Children’s Centre Family Support Worker, write the latest Bristol Bites Back Better blog post. Zoe offers family support at the Speedwell FOOD Club every Friday at Meadowvale Community Centre.
Nick Haigh, Coordinator of Bristol Gleaning Network, shares some of the work the network is doing to glean surplus fruit and vegetables from farms in and around Bristol – gleaning is an activity where volunteers harvest human edible surplus from farms. Nick is looking to connect with local food projects that can benefit from the redistribution of this food, as well as from producers and potential volunteers.
The Too Good To Go food waste app is used by Bristol businesses such as The Bristol Loaf and Bosco Pizzeria, as well as national chains in the city to prevent food waste. Too Good To Go’s Regional Lead for the South West and Wales, Melissa Meakins, calls on food businesses and the citizens of Bristol to use such apps to fight food waste.
