www.bh food . o rg . uk 1

city foodIssue 28 | Autumn 2013

See inside for more news, issues and events near you

Celebrating ten years!

The Big DigWeek

Seasonal menuFood Partnership news and reviews p4-8Best cookability recipes p.10-11

A short history ofcommunity cookery p.12-13Ten years of the FoodPartnership 14-15A growingcommunity p. 16-17An ode to the orchard p.18Big Dig Weekp.20Out and aboutwith FareSharep.22-23Communitynutrition p24-27

2 city food news

Food Partnership News

Welcome to this special tenth birthdayedition of City Food News which looksback at the journey we have been onsince we started work back in 2003.Birthdays are an opportunity to stop

and reflect before moving forward. The evaluation of the Harvest project

shows that 51 new community gardensstarted during the four years it has run.Since 2010, First Time Cook has givenover 100 people the skills andconfidence to cook nutritious meals forthemselves. Adults partaking in ourweight management programmes havelost weight and made lasting changesto the food they eat. Last year morethan 4,000 people volunteered on agrowing project and 650 householdsare part of a community compostingscheme. It’s not just numbers but real changes to communities andpeople’s lives. Food is fun and celebratory but can

also be a great divider. It can mean verydifferent things for different people. Forsome it is a constant worry confirmedby the news that the number of foodbanks in the city has trebled this year,with more to come. Now as the cityfaces further financial problems wewant to ensure that food does not wideninequalities but brings people together. From the start our ethos has always

been that prevention and whole lifechanges, promoting a healthyrelationship with food from an early

age, is better thandealing with theconsequences later.We know that foodwork is a great wayto engage peoplewith a range of behaviour changes –people starting to grow some food tellus they waste less, people learning tocook start eating more healthily, peoplewho join weight management groups goon to volunteer on a community project.Looking ahead we will continue to

use food as a tool to help the mostvulnerable to be healthier and toprevent further social andenvironmental problems. Our ability to do this relies on others

and we are grateful for the funding thathas supported our valuable work,particularly from the Public Health teamand The Big Lottery Local Food Fund.To celebrate our work with us please

come along to our tenth birthday eventon Hove Lawns on 14th and 15thSeptember. It’s going to be a fantasticweekend packed with activities helpingyou eat, cook and grow. Thank you to allour members who have supported usover the last decade.

Enjoy this Food NewsBy Vic BorrillFood Partnership Director

Welcome

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4 city food news

Sharp increasein number offood banksThe number of food banks operating in Brighton & Hove hasincreased from two to six over thelast year, with four more planning toopen soon.The Food Partnership held a

meeting for emergency fooddistributors in the city in July. Youcan see the report on our website. The capacity of Fareshare, who

distribute surplus food to all thecity’s food banks, is stretched andthey need further support to runtheir depot and delivery vans. If youwould like to support our local foodbanks, then we suggest that youdonate to Fareshare:www.faresharebrightonandhove.org.uk

Food Waste Collective launches

Get active this autumnPrimary school students will ‘run theworld’ in October as part of an initiative toget children running. The project aims toget thousands of 7 to 11 year oldscovering a 1km distance and togetheramass a total distance equivalent torunning from Brighton to Africa.But don’t stop there. Free swimming for

children is being continued for anotheryear so under-11s can swim for free allweek and 12-16 year olds can swim forfree at the weekend. Freedom Leisure arealso introducing a new leisure card forpeople on benefits to get discounts onusing their facilities.

On 6th July, staff and members of theFood Partnership joined many others ina Food Waste Action event, where thecity’s food waste and food povertyissues were discussed, and projectswere developed to address them.Two projects launched locally,

including a surplus produce harvestingnetwork and a business to charity food

redistribution group (which has alreadyshared out 2 pallets’ worth of surplusdry goods). If you’re interested injoining these and other projects,sharing ideas or simply spreading theword, join the Food Waste Collective atwww.facebook.com/foodwastecollectiveor by emailingfoodwastecollective@gmail.com.

Brighton & Hove has become afounding member of the UK-wideSustainable Food Cities Networkalong with 24 other cities includingEdinburgh, Newcastle and Liverpool.The network brings together cities

that are working to promote healthy andsustainable food as a way of addressingsome of the country’s most pressingsocial, economic and environmentalproblems including obesity, food povertyand climate change.The pioneering work of the

Brighton & Hove FoodPartnership will beused as a model for othercities in the network to follow.At the end of the three year

programme, more than 100 urbanareas are expected to have joined upallowing people to share challenges,explore practical solutions anddevelop best practice in all aspects ofsustainable food. Members will alsowork towards achieving SustainableFood City status.

Brighton & Hove City in Bloom 2013was a huge success. After beingmanaged by the council for almost twodecades, last year itbecome anindependentorganisation and isnow entirely run on avoluntary basis. For the second

year running theFood Partnershipsponsored theCommunityGardening category and 16 gardensentered the competition. The projectsthat made it through to the final are

London Road Station Partnership,Moulsecoomb Forest Garden andWayfield Avenue Martlet Hospice and

the ranking willbe unveiled at theprize givingceremony on 23rd September.Hopefully so

much passion andenthusiasm willmotivate evenmore people toenter thecompetitions and

contribute to making our city a moreedible place to be.

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City in Bloom

Sustainable food cities

Food Partnership News

Come and celebrate ten yearsof working for a citywidehealthy, sustainable andaffordable food system with us.

On the 14th and 15th September, we’rehosting ‘Eat-Cook-Grow’, a foodieextravaganza at the Food Festivalmarket on Hove Lawns. For the event we’ve organised a

series of engaging, interactive “plot toplate” foodie experiences. You cansample one of our cookery demos andpick up some new tips andtechniques including how tomake your leftovers in todelicious meals. Or admire ourwonderful harvest display of localseasonal fruits and vegetables,and learn how to grown your ownfood, even if you are short onspace. Our nutrition team will alsobe on hand to dispel somecommon food myths and offeradvice on healthy eating, whateveryour budget. You won’t miss our marquee: it’s

the one with an urban farm outsideit. Yes, a real urban farm featuring aheavy horse for children to ride on,fruiting trees, apple juicing and evensome sheep.Then on the 26th October, we’re

hosting a party and fundraiser at theOld Market in Hove featuring theAfro-Colombian rhythms of Pollito

Boogaloo plus the dance-floor stomp ofBrighton’s Carnivalesque DJs.This gig is a fund raiser for our

Harvest schools project – helpingschools throughout the city to set upvegetable and fruit gardens for theirchildren to enjoy (and learn from)growing their own food. If you would liketo support this project please buy the£20 ticket – the extra £10 is a donationthat will go direct to the project.

6 city food news

Celebrating ten years

Sheep Share, a local scheme that aimsto get more city residents eating locallamb, is open for orders for this season. A lot of people are worried about

where their meat comes from, how ithas been treated and its impact on theenvironment. With this scheme you canbuy local and sustainable meat directfrom the farmer.

What do you get?The sheep that are purchased throughthe Sheep Share are about two yearsold (Shearlings). The flavour of themeat is high quality, and many of thetop restaurants buy off the local farmeras well. A share of the sheep is one-quarter of

a whole animal, butchered down intoindividually vacuum packed cuts.Customers can order one or more shares(or you can arrange to split a share with afriend). Each share costs £40.Each quarter-share will include a

range of cuts from the back legs to theneck, plus mince. You can opt to haveoffal if you like. A ¼ sheep fits easilyinto a freezer tray.

How does it work?Email your order tosheepsharebh@gmail.com before thedeadline. The group will then put an

order inwith thefarmerand hewill takethesheep toslaughter and get them butcheredlocally and drop them off to a centraldistribution point where you can pickup your meat.Sheepshare is a Community

Supported Agriculture (CSA) schemerun by a group called BrightonCommunity Agriculture. This CSA isrun by a group of volunteers, thereforewhen you join the scheme you couldthink about getting further involvedwhich helps share the responsibility ofthe project. For instance you could helpwith publicity, taking orders orattending meetings.

Food Partnership News

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Deadlines September SheepshareDeadline: Friday 20th Sept 13 5pmCollection: Friday 27th Sept 13Winter SheepshareDeadline: Friday 29th Nov 13 5pmCollection: Friday 13th Dec 13

Twitter: twitter.com/SheepShare

Buy yourself ashare of a sheep

The Moo ManA slow, meandering film about cowsmay not seem like the perfect cinematreat but Andy Heathcote’s Moo Man isa delightfully subtle take on the veryreal struggles of the modern day dairy farmer. We follow East Sussex farmer Stephen

Hook, who turned his back on the cost-cutting dairy and supermarket systemto set up on his own and sell raw milkdirect from his farm. The cows rulearound these parts and staying smalland local allows Stephen to cultivate aclose bond with all his animals.

But from worrying about TBwiping out his whole herd to theyearly birthing cycle where heifersare worth so much more thanbulls, the trials and tribulations ofdairy farming are never far away. Without labouring the point,

the Moo Man shows the need tosupport our small local farmersbefore they disappear for good. The film is currently touring

the country. Look out for ascreening near you or pre-order the DVD now. www.trufflepigfilms.com

Cooked: A Natural Historyof TransformationMichael Pollan’s new book is a sizable, ifoverwhelming, feast of stories about ageold culinary traditions such as roastinga whole pig, baking a sourdough, andperfecting a pickle, and the people whochampion these activities in the modernday. Each story gives way to Pollan’sown musings on what it means to behuman, a philosophical exploration ofhow the making of food defines us, andthe implications for a society thatspends less than 30 minutes a dayimmersed in it. If this sounds tooacademic, fear not, as between theritual sacrifice of barbeques, the zen ofbraising, the mysticism ofleavening and thesinister pleasures offermentation, youwill actually findpractical knowledgethat you can apply inyour own kitchen,and certainly a largedose of inspiration.Just try not toconsume too much inone sitting.

By Vera Zakharov

8 city food news

Reviews

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Community Cookery

Not just a cookery courseCookery is a great way to learn about

food; where it comes from, how to eathealthy and how to buy responsibly.This may seem a bit much when youare just interested in joining a cookerycourse, but in today's ever expandingworld we can'tafford to take foodfor granted, whichis why our cookerycourses offer alittle more.When you come

onto one of ourcookery courses,whether it be as abeginner orcompetent cookyou will find thatthe course is peppered withadditional spice. Topics such as ‘loveyou leftovers’ and ‘shop smart’, adornour menu to help people save thosepennies and reduce food waste. Wealways start by introducing our friend‘The Eatwell Plate’ which helps peopleunderstand the proportions of differenttypes of food we need to eat every daythat helps with a healthy lifestyle. Weare all pretty familiar with the ‘Five aDay’ idea but what does this mean whenwe are planning to cook a meal? Ourcommunity nutrition team are alwayson hand to support and advise you. Understanding where food comes from

can be just as enlightening as learning to

cook, and we often take the cooking outof the kitchen and into the open, whenwe visit growing projects around the cityand see how they nurture their locallygrown produce. Of course theopportunity to cook there and then withsome of this fresh picked produce is

incrediblyenticing, so wealways make surethat this isincluded as part ofthe ‘Pick and Cook’session. Where ourfood comes from, isincreasinglybecoming aconcern for peoplewho demand toknow more about

what goes into their bodies. Cookingyour own meals is the quickest and bestsolution to resolve this issue.The food cycle is large and very

complex, but if we all take time tounderstand it a little more, we canbegin to make small changes to ourdaily lives that will have a big impact toour world. Whether you’re interested inlearning to cook, growing food orhealthy eating; make a start today byfinding out something new you can doto make a change.

By Alan Lugton Community Cookery Manager

10 city food news

Ingredients l200 grams Toful200 grams Spinachl200 grams Shitake Mushroomsl50 ml sunflower oill4 drops Sesame oill50 grams Seasoned Flourl10 ml Soy Sauce

Method1Wrap tofu with kitchen towel and puta plate on it with a light weight (e.g. atin of tomatoes) and leave them for 20-30 minutes. This will draw out some ofthe excess water from the tofu.

2 Cut tofu into large chunks and coat inthe seasoned flour, then set aside.3 Cut the mushrooms into quarters.4 Heat a frying pan with somesunflower oil and add the tofu. Fry at alow-medium heat until the outsidegets golden and crispy. Place on awarm plate.5 Add some more oil to the pan and frymushrooms for 2-3 minutes. Then addthe spinach and stir in until it is wiltedand vibrant green. 6 Place the mixture over the tofu. 7 Serve immediately with a lightsprinkle of soy sauce.

On the last week of our Cookability cookeryleaders course students often choose tocook one of their own recipes for the rest ofthe group to try. Here are some of ourfavourites from over the last 8 years

Stir Fry Tofu, Mushrooms and Spinach

Aiko Yamakawa, Cookability 2013Serves 4 people

Community Cookery

Ingredientsl750g / 1 ½ lb potatoesl1 onion finely choppedl1 clove garlic choppedl3 dried chillies or 1-2 fresh (varyaccording to taste)

l2 tablespoons olive oill1-2 teaspoon of paprika (hot or sweetdepending on how hot you like it)

l1 tin of tomatoes or 4 ripe freshtomatoes

l1 teaspoon sugarl1 tablespoon of plain flourl150 ml / ¼ pint of cold waterlSalt and pepper to tastelOil for frying

Method1 Peel and chop the potatoes into smallchunks. Place in a pan with saltedwater and part-boil for 5-10 minutes(depending on the type of potato) takingcare the chunks remain whole. Drainand leave to cool.2 Heat the oil over a medium heat andadd the onions, garlic and chilli. Fryuntil the onion becomestransparent but not brown (5-10 min).3 Remove the pan from theheat and add the paprikamixing well. (This is toavoid the paprikaburning).

4 Add the tomatoes and sugar to thepan and return to the heat. Simmergently for about 10 minutes.5 Mix the flour with a little COLD waterto form a runny paste (creamconsistency) making sure there are nolumps. Add this to the sauce and stir.Add the rest of the water and stir.6 Add seasoning and simmer for 15 min.7 Let the sauce cool down for a bit andpuree with a hand blender or foodprocessor.8 Heat then oil in a frying pan andshallow fry the potatoes, turning overoccasionally, until golden.9 Place in a serving dish and top withthe tomato sauce.

TipslFor a smother sauce, pass thetomato mix through a sieve.

lThe sauce is better hot but it mayalso be served cold.

Patatas bravas (potatoes in spicy tomato sauce)

Nina Moldes Cookability 2009.Serves 4 as a tapa or side dish

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12 city food news

The much smaller community cookeryteam joined the much smaller FoodPartnership in 2007. At this point the Community Cookery

project – consisting of communitycookery tutor, Erika Adler – was wellestablished in East Brighton withvarious cookery classes and a cookeryleaders training course, Cookability.Since joining the Food Partnership wehave grown both in terms of how manystaff we have and how much of the cityour work covers. We are now a team of4 who work alongside 12 sessionalworkers to run a Cookability courseeach term and First Time Cook, ourregular beginner’s cookery course. Wealso run courses and sessions inpartnership with other organisationsand the other Food Partnership teamsfor example cookery demonstrationswith Love Food Hate Waste, seasonal

cookery courses with Harvest andEatwell workshops with the healthynutrition team.Here are just a few of the things

we’ve done:

Trained Community Cookery Leaders233 people have come on Cookabilitysince it began in 2005. Amongst otherthings people have gone on to run:

lCookery groups within youth clubsand children’s centres

lCatering and cookery trainingprojects with teenagers

lCookery sessions with refugees andasylum seekers

lPrimary school cookery clubs forboth parents and children

lPick and cook sessions at communitygardens and allotments

A shorthistory ofcooking in thecommunityBy Anna Schwarz

Taught basic cookery andbeginner cooks 107 people have come on First TimeCook since it began in 2010, Some of the reasons people come on

the course are to ‘learn to cook healthyfood on a budget’, ‘to use freshingredients and get my 5 a day’, ‘fed upwith the expense of ready meals’ and toget inspired.

Run joint courses andsessions including…lOld Spice cookery for men aged 50+with lifelines

l Baby weaning sessions withchildrens centres

l Harvest festivals and lunchboxworkshops for parents and childrenwith a wide variety of schools

l Lunch Club cooking and eatingsessions for people with learningdisabilities with Speak Out advocacy project

l Cookery for people learning Englishas a second language with theFriends Centre and the MigrantEnglish Project

Community Cookery

“The course has exceeded my expectations –more than this. It has been a delightfulexperience. I wanted to gain confidence in mycooking skills, learn new recipes, meet newpeople and have fun! All of this has happened. I enjoyed every moment. It was a fantastic, fun,learning experience and I now love cookingand have much more confidence”

“I had a great sense of shared learning”

“Cookability has given me theboost to plan various cookery

projects that have beensitting around waiting to be

activated”

View from a First Time Cook

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14 city food news

The Brighton & Hove Food Partnershipstarted life in 2003 when variouspeople in the city came together todiscuss improving the local foodsystem. The idea was to combine thediverse food work going on in thehealth, environmental and economicsectors and use food as a catalyst todrive forward social andenvironmental change. Ten years on and the Food Partnership

has evolved beyond all recognition. Wenow have over twenty members of staffworking on a large number of projects.We run cookery courses teaching people

how to cook and how to start up theirown cookery ventures. We encouragepeople to grow food, wherever they can,and to start gardens in disused spacesas a community. And we providenutritional advice and weightmanagement services that keep cityresidents happy and healthy. We have over 3,250 members who

support our campaigns and share theirideas and food tips with us. If you knowanyone who supports our work but isn’ta member, please encourage them tojoin us and help us shout louder aboutfood in our city.

Timeline 2003Idea

take

s shape

2004Spade t

o Spoon

Confere

nce

2005Fir

st loca

l pro

duce

festi

val

2006La

unch of S

pade

to Spoon

2007FP

starts

to

delive

r weig

ht

managem

ent

servi

ces

Ten years of theBrighton & Hove Food Partnership

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Special feature

“Just looking at the FoodPartnership website andseeing how much isgoing on is testament tohow much this fantasticorganisation has grown:

22 members of staff working on 12different program areas! I started as avolunteer with the FP back in 2004 whenthe Food Partnership was just one yearold and by the time I left in 2012 I wasworking full time on the Harvest Project. Itwas a great experience to work with suchinspiring, knowledgeable and dedicatedpeople both within the FP and the manyexcellent community projects andpartners. I feel proud to have been a partof the BHFP team for so long and to haveseen the organisation grow, develop andreally make a difference in bringing abouta healthy, sustainable and fair foodsystem in Brighton & Hove. Best job ever!”Ann Baldridge was the first ever paidmember of staff at the Food Partnership

“Back in 2002 I wasemployed to run aCookery in theCommunity project aspart of the East Brightonregeneration programme

(EB4u). A year later I took part in theSpade to Spoon conference, which led tothe city’s Food Strategy and the creation

of the Food Partnership, and I look backwith amazement at how much has beenachieved in the past 10 years.

I developed the Cookability training in2004 as a way of building on the skillsand enthusiasm of local people, so thatthey felt confident to pass on their love ofcooking, good food and healthy eating toothers in the community. I feel very luckyto have worked with so many fantasticindividuals and partner organisations,and it’s great to know that the projectcontinues its important work in the city.Here’s to the next ten years!”Erika Adler founded the Cookabilityprogramme

“I have two special memories from theearly years of the Food Partnership: thelaunch of Spade to Spoon in the packedOld Market Theatre, not just as list of ‘todos’ but with a fair few already marked‘done’; then, a few years later, the crunchmeeting when the board took the chanceto provide community cooking support forthe Primary Care Trust, paving the way forthe hands-on work done today. Thepartnership has achieved a huge amountboth before then and since, especiallywith Harvest, serving the city well andinspiring others around the country. Longmay it flourish!”Tom MacMillan was a board memberat the Food Partnership

2008Hea

lthy C

hoice

Award dev

eloped

2009Harve

st pro

ject

launches

2010Dem

onstr

ation

vege

table

garde

n in

Preston

Park st

arts

2011Planning Advis

ory

Note fo

r food

growing adopt

ed

and com

munity

com

posting st

arts

2012Spade t

o spoon

refre

sh

2013Te

nth

anniversa

ry

16 city food news

The Food Partnership’s Harvest projecthas come to the end of its initial BigLottery funding. An evaluation reporthas been produced to look at theimpact of the project and what learningcan be shared with other cities. Belowwe provide some highlights from thereport. Thank you to all FoodPartnership members and supporterswho contributed to the evaluationprocess.* Harvest helped

people to start upcommunitygardens in parks,allotments anddisused spacesacross the city.Some of thesewere the first oftheir kind andpioneered growingon new types ofland. Theprocesses andprocedures that Harvest helped agreewill make it easier for anyone to startup similar projects in the future. Manyevaluation interviews suggested thatHarvest’s ability to bring key decision-makers and stakeholders together wasa major factor in developing the trickierof these ‘exemplar’ projects, and that itis unlikely that such projects couldhave been developed as quickly (if atall) without that contribution.

Food growing has increasedthroughout the city during Harvest, thiswas largely due to a rise in small-scaleprojects, rather than larger initiatives.Given limited resources and landspace, there were inevitable trade-offsbut these projects have clear socialbenefits alongside the food production.Projects reported that Harvest madethem feel part of a larger food-growingcommunity in Brighton & Hove and that

this increasedtheir confidence,developed theircommon identity,providedinspiration andhelped new peopleaccess theirprojects. Potentiallarger projectshave only juststarted to comeforward, andHarvest staff feel

confident to support them with theexisting momentum, awareness andkey strategic relationships in place. One of the rationales behind Harvest

was that promoting food growing couldencourage other sustainable foodbehaviours. Many evaluation surveyrespondents reported behaviourchanges as a result of engagementwith Harvest, such as wasting less food(44%), composting (41%), and buying

A growing community

“Volunteering withHarvest not only gave methe chance to indulge mypassion for growing food

but also gave mesomething to focus on

while being unemployed. Also, beingaround other volunteers and by talking tomembers of the public gave me back a lotof my self-confidence and self-esteem.”Gary Johnson, volunteer at the Harvest

demo garden

Harvest

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*The full evaluation report was researched by Rebecca White(Research Fellow, University of Sussex) and James Thomas(independent researcher). The University of Brighton wasHarvest’s overall evaluation partner. All of the work would nothave been possible without the funding provided by the BigLottery’s Local Food Fund, other organisations that providedmatch funding and the in-kind support offered to the project.

Harvest innumbers:51 new community gardens in Brighton& Hove (increased from 25 to 76)

7,201 m2 of new growing space inthe city

4,000 volunteers per year involvedin community gardening in Brighton& Hove (15,000 hours per year)

£45,000 given out in 70 smallgrants to community growing projects

£103,268 of additional (match)funding secured for Harvest

24 community composting sitessetup, involving over 500 households

10 tonnes of unused fruit processedby the Scrumping project, generatingover £12,000 in sales

700 people attended 70 trainingcourses and talks on growing andcooking

70,000 unique visitors to theHarvest website

3,000 followers on Twitter and2,500 email newslettersubscribers

Harvest staff attended 180community events and spoke to morethan 6,000 people

more local food (36%).Food Matters drafted a Planning

Advisory Note (PAN) with the Councilas part of Harvest, encouragingdevelopers to incorporate food growinginto new housing developments in thecity. The PAN was a finalist in the 2013Royal Institute of Town PlannersAwards and was highly commended inthe South East Constructing ExcellenceAwards 2013. Harvest representativeswere invited to give oral evidence to theHouse of Commons Select Committeeon Sustainable Food and sharedlearning in places including Swansea,Middlesbrough, Berlin, Paris, Londonand Manchester.

What nextPriorities for the next phase of thiswork include increasing access to thebenefits of food growing, continuing tosupport food growing projects,particularly those working incommunities of greater need, andsupporting larger-scale growingprojects to start and succeed.

18 city food news

The humble apple originated inKazakhstan, but has a rich andvaried history in England andthe rest of the world. Frompacked lunches to cider, theapple has a place in our dietthat no other fruit can hope toattain and a major part of itsappeal is the fact it can begrown locally. There are at least30 varieties of apple whichcome from Sussex.Not so long ago, orchards

were a common sight. Manyhave been lost, but now people areonce again planting their own orchards.They are appearing around housing, inparks, school grounds, fields on theedge of towns and on village greens.Brighton & Hove is at the forefront of

this. Brighton Permaculture Trust, apartner of the Brighton & Hove FoodPartnership, have in the last 10 yearsplanted at least 400 grafted fruit treeswithin the city andat least 1,000 othertrees (of whichmany are fruiting).In addition to this atleast 50 trees have been planted inschools by other groups over this time.Orchards have many benefits; they

are a beautiful haven for people to sitand enjoy, they are a source of foodwhich can last for 50 – 100 years and

provide a habitat for many differenttypes of wildlife.Over the last 10 years, Brighton

Permaculture Trust has harvested wellin excess of 10 tonnes of fruit fromtheir orchards at Stanmer and throughthe Scrumping Project. All being wellthis figure should increase greatly oncesome of the 400 fruit trees plantedhave matured and start bearing fruit. A

further 170 treesare planned for thelarge orchard siteup at Racehill andmany other sites

across Brighton & Hove.Find out more about apples and theirorigins at Apple day in Stanmer Parkon the 22nd September or at thescreening of The Origins of the Appleon 4th October at the LinklaterPavillion, Lewes.

Ode to the Orchard

Interested in planting an Orchard? Seewww.brightonpermaculture.org.uk/

community-orchards

Harvest

www.bh food . o rg . uk 19

In 2011 I picked up a Food Partnershipleaflet about composting in thecommunity. I thought it was a goodidea, although I have agarden it’s very smalland I hated throwingaway good stuff.As a member of the

North Laine CommunityAssociation (NCLA) Iwent to a meeting andraised the possibility.There were a mix ofreactions but generally people were infavour. I then wrote an article about it forthe NLCA newsletter, asking anyone whowas interested to contact me and forsuggestions for possible sites. Withresidents on board I went to the Council’sCommunity Waste Forum meeting. Having identified Brighthelm and St

Peters as suitable sites, Adam Batchelorof City Clean worked on the legal issues,

and providing the compost bins, while Iwrote more articles to drum up support

and explain how thescheme could work if itgot off the ground. It wasfinally launched in thesummer of 2011 at whichpoint over 30 householdssigned up. I’m reallyproud to have been partof getting this scheme offthe ground which has led

the way to over 20 other schemes acrossthe city. It really is amazing what can beachieved if you get together with otherpeople and persevere in finding solutionsto problems.To find out how to join an existingscheme or to get composting in yourarea contact jo@bhfood.org.uk or havea look at the map of compost siteswww.bhfood.org.uk/community-composting

Community CompostingThe enthusiasm for communitycomposting across the city continues andwe now have new schemes in PrestonPark and at the Secret Garden behind StLeonards Church in Hove. This brings thetotal number of community compostschemes to 21. That equates to over 650households involved, and if that statistic

isn’t enough for you, try imagining awhopping 4 double decker’s worth offood waste diverted from incineration.This month we celebrated our secondharvest from the North Laine schemewhich is currently nourishing the corn andcourgettes growing in the newBrighthelm garden.

The Start of Community Composting in North LaineWritten by Paley OConner Volunteer Compost Monitor

16th – 22ndSeptember 2013

Big DigWeek

theBig Dig

Weekthe

Join our celebration of urban

food growing as community

gardens in Brighton and

Hove open their gates for

the third Big Dig event.

Come and discover what lies

behind the garden walls in

your neighbourhood and

beyond. Get involved and

inspired to get growing too.

25 gardens are open throughoutthe week, showcasing a diverserange of community projects inparks, orchards and forests.Check out three abundant trailsacross the city with volunteerworkdays, activity events, fundays and a pop-up surprise inthe city centre!

www.bigdig.org.ukharvest@bhfood.org.uk01273 431700

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Harvest

We’re creating a pop up garden madeup of edible plants borrowed fromcommunity gardens and projectsacross the city. You can find it on theSouth lawn by St Peters Church nearthe Old Steine from the 16th-29thSeptember. The garden is part ofwider project which will test what

people want to see in this space overthe longer-term, including art andsound installations and a pop-up cafe.We need volunteers to help us buildand set up the site on Monday 16thSeptember (10am-5pm). If you'd like tohelp out, email us atharvest@bhfood.org.uk.

Harvest Pop Up Garden

Stanford AvenueCommunityGardenStanford Avenue Community Garden wasofficially opened on 21 June, and alreadythe fruits of the community’s work arebeing reaped, with the garden’s firsthealthy marrow harvested recently.Strawberries, tomatoes, chilies, herbs andflowers are also blossoming.The 600 sq ft garden came about as a

result of a request by local residents to theCity Council after a road safety schemenarrowing the junction of Stanford Avenueand Cleveland Road was built.Anyone who can offer time, hardware andexpertise is welcome to join in. For moreinformation, please emailstanfordgarden@yahoo.co.uk

New projects

Tucked away in an industrial estate onthe edge of the city is a little warehousewith a lot of impact. FareShareBrighton & Hove has operated since2002, redistributing quality surplusfood from the food industry toorganisations that support vulnerablecommunities in the city. FareShare alsoprovides training to their volunteers,many of whom have benefitted fromthe work of the above organisations. Itis one of 17 FareShare hubs operatingin the UK and Northern Ireland.But how does this project, run mostly

by volunteers, manage to distributehundreds of tonnes of food every year?I accompanied the team over a workingday to find out. At 9:30am the warehouse

is already abuzz withactivity. Volunteerswearing hi-viz are busypacking various fooditems, checking lists,and marking cratesfor delivery, all ina hectic but well-choreographeddance. “We’reshort onevolunteer,so allhands ondeck

this morning,” Seb, the AssistantOperations Manager, tells me.Seb has worked with FareShare since

2007, drawn in by FareShare’s positivesocial impact and focus on supportingvolunteers. He works alongsideLyndsey, the Fundraising &Communications Officer, and Nathan,the Operations Manager.Nathan joined the FareShare team in

2003. Back then, FareShare had onevan and delivered less than 50 tonnesof food a year. Now they work with 52projects in Brighton & Hove andSussex, and have distributed 220tonnes in the first half of 2013 alone.The warehouse is carefully organised

by food – tinned fruit and veg, drygoods, spring greens from afarm in Kent. I’m shownthe cool room, withsandwiches, ready mealsand massive chorizologs. It’s astounding. I’m

offered a crayfishstirfry for lunch.“We can’t donatecertain items,like seafood.It’s perfectlysafe as is,butsomeonemight

A Day with FareShareBy Vera Zakharov

22 city food news

Food poverty

www.bh food . o rg . uk 23

get the sandwich, carry it around allday, and it becomes a health risk.”FareShare calls projects to tell

them what they have and plan outwhat they’ll receive the next day.“One children’s centre requestedtinned veg, and all we have is ackee,”says Seb.“Wow they’re £4 a tin!” I exclaim,

savouring the thoughts of saltfishand ackee with rice. “Yeah, it’s nice but very unusual.

Luckily we know that the centre isvisited by many Afro-Caribbeanfamilies, so I’m confident it will be enjoyed.”Dave has been volunteering for 8

years. “I was in treatment for a while,at a project receiving FareShare food.They encouraged me to volunteer, andI’ve been coming here since. I’m retirednow, but I just can’t put my feet up!” hechuckles.What about waste? “We waste less than

1%,” says Seb. “When we receive toomuch packaged prepared veg, we deliverit to a localcommunitygrowing projectwho cook it up fortheir volunteers.”Seb, volunteer

Jack and I head off in the massiverefrigerated van on our day’s deliveries.The first stop is the Forfars Bakerywarehouse, where we pick up boxes ofcolourful pastries. We discuss thelasting power of apple turnovers.The route takes us in a zig-zag of

stops across the city. I am astounded by

the sheer diversity in the projects wevisit, such as an organisation workingwith teens not in education oremployment, an unemployed workersproject, and a centre that supportswomen experiencing substance abuse. Seb tells me that demand for support

is rising dramatically in the currenteconomic climate. Thankfully,donations are also increasing. “WithTesco and Asda coming on board, weare reaching capacity,” Seb tells me.“But we can use more, as our projectsalways need more food.“We need more space, we need more

operationalcapacity. Weneed moremoney.”The story of

FareShare isitself a story of recovery, in more waysthan one. Not least the recovery fromour society’s addiction to waste. As wework to address the root issues of bothpoverty and food waste, FareShare andthe many projects it supports are vitallifelines. And they could use a helping hand.

To learn more about FareShare Brighton &Hove, and how you can help them to raise

funds, please visitwww.faresharebrightonandhove.org.uk

24 city food news

The Community Nutrition team joinedthe Food Partnership in 2007. We tookthe opportunity to catch up withmembers of the team and asked themto tell us how it all began, share someof their biggest achievements and letus know what might be next...

Jannette, CommunityNutrition Manager:“The Community Nutrition teamprovides an integrated service aimed atimproving the health of residents inBrighton & Hove. Our services includeweight management clinics and groupprogrammes and we are increasinglylinking to other food-related activitiessuch as cookery classes, food growingprojects and reducing food waste.”

Susan, Health PromotionDietitian:“We also keep members up to date withblogs, newsletters and marketingmaterials. The Food Partnership isreally living up to its name and we arevery proud of our role in showing localpeople a holistic approach to food,starting with planting seeds rightthrough to the food on your plate. To bepart of the Food Partnership is aunique experience for a dietitian -working in such a dynamic organisationbroadens the way you approach yourown area of work and there are lots ofopportunities to work across teams.”

Vicky D, Healthy Weight Co-ordinator:The unique Healthy Weight ReferralService was set up in response to local

Healthy communities

Community Nutrition

needs. Since 2009 through to thissummer it has received over 4000referrals and is one of our biggestachievements so far. We have built up awell-regarded reputation and servicethat works and we are celebrating itssuccess. I feel privileged to work withsuch an enthusiastic team.

Vicky V, CommunityNutritionist:Our integrated approach reflectsBrighton & Hove’s progressive attitudesand views towards food and health. Weremain up to date and try to respond tocurrent needs in the community. Forexample, we are focusing on healthyeating on a budget in light of thecurrent situation and challengesaround food poverty. We recognise theneed to find lasting solutions that gobeyond food banks. Our Eat Wellworkshops are also very successful inintroducing nutrition to vulnerablegroups. Helping local people realisetheir personal health goals makes mefeel good.

Jannette:Now each of our teamshere has grown we hopeto join up ourapproach to buildcapacity and impact.We are continuallyimproving andexpanding our range ofservices and remainexcited about the years ahead!

The Community nutrition team arelaunching a new healthy lifestyleprogramme designed for childrenabove their ideal weight and their families. Family Shape Up focuses on

improving a families’ knowledgeabout healthy eating through funactivities. Each session contains lotsof practical tips and games for thechildren to encourage physicalactivity in a fun and safeenvironment.The first course is already fully

booked but if you are interested injoining the next one which starts inJanuary, come along to a tastersession on Tuesday 1st October atthe Brighthelm Centre from 5.30-7.30pm to find out what to expectfrom the programme. To register foryour free place at this taster sessionplease call the Healthy WeightReferral Service on 01273 431703 oremail healthyweight@bhfood.org.uk.

Family Shape Up

25

26 city food news

Shape Up is a free healthy lifestyleprogramme combining healthy eatingadvice and physical activity over a nineweek period. A locally developedprogramme, it is one of the CommunityNutrition Team’s major achievements.Once a participant completes theprogramme, theyare entitled toattend weeklyactivity sessionsand access supportservices tocontinue sharingideas, check theirweight and enjoysocialising with peers.Lucy Breaks

joined Shape Upin 2010 after shewas advised by her GP that she neededto lose weight. We catch up with heragain as she shares her continuedexperiences of Shape Up:

Have you made any newchanges to your diet andlifestyle?Since I reached my target weight lastyear I decided to watch what I eatduring the week and then I can be lessstrict at the weekends. This works for

me because I’m someone whoreally ‘lives toeat’ and thisregime allowsme to satisfymy cravingsoften enough sothat I don’t feellike I’m goingwithout. I haveeverything I wantin moderation.So far, I seem tobe maintaining afairly stable

weight and managed to shed the fewpounds that crept back on when I wason holiday.

Celebrating Shape Up Success

lOver the past 5 years almost 3000adults and children have signed up toour individual, group and familyweight management programmes.

lThe adults alone have together lost astaggering 2311kg – the same as9244 packets of butter!

lThey have also reduced 1940cm fromtheir waists – that’s more

than the length of a bus!lWe have helped 168 establishments achieve a Healthy Choice Award for theirhealthier catering practices.

lWe are proud to be able to continue toprovide all these services and moreto the local community.

Health bite:

Community Nutrition

www.bh food . o rg . uk 27

Have you noticed anycontinued or new benefits toyour health or confidencesince attending Shape Up andShape Up Support?My energy levels have increased andI’m definitely stronger and moreflexible overall. My moods have liftedand I’m more confident meeting newpeople. I think I’m enjoying my lifemore in general and am kinder tomyself – not thinking of myself as a fatperson. I feel such a massive sense ofachievement and pride in reaching mygoals. Now I enjoy buying clothesinstead of dreading it and amconsidering putting up a full-lengthmirror in the house (I’ve never beenable to face having one before).

Would you recommendShape Up to others acrossBrighton & Hove? Why?Definitely. It helps educate, inform andsupport anyone to change their own lifefor the better. Plus it’s FREE!

What words would you use tosummarise your experienceof Shape Up?Positive, supportive, informative, fun,sociable and committed.

Brighton & Hove Food & Drink Festival,Various Venues, Brighton & HoveThu 5th – Sun 15th Septemberwww.brightonfoodfestival.com/events

Eat-Cook-Grow, Food Partnership 10thBirthday Celebration Event, Hove LawnsSat 14th –Sun 15th September, 10am – 5pmwww.bhfood.org.uk/events

Seed Collecting & Storing, WealdAllotments, HoveSun 13th October 11am – 1pminfo@bhogg.org

Food Partnership 10th Birthday Bash feat.Pollito Boogaloo, The Old Market, HoveSat 26th October, 8pm – 12amwww.harvest-bh.org.uk/events

CoursesSeasonal Preserve MakingThu 12th September, 5:30pm – 8:30pmThu 3rd October, 5:30pm – 8:30pmThu 24th October, 5:30pm – 8:30pmwww.harvest-bh.org.uk/events

Grow & TellSun 15th September, 11:00am – 1:30pmSun 20th October, 11:00am – 1:30pmwww.harvest-bh.org.uk/events

CookabilityTue 17th September – Tue 26thNovember, 9:30am – 2pmwww.bhfood.org.uk/events

An Introduction to Herbs & TheirMedicinal UsesWed 18th September, 10:30am – 1pmwww.harvest-bh.org.uk/events

Shape Up After BabyTue 24th September, 10am – 12pmwww.bhfood.org.uk/events

First Time CookThu 26th September, 11am – 1pmwww.bhfood.org.uk/events

Core Growing SkillsSat 5th October, 10am – 2pmwww.harvest-bh.org.uk/events

Family Shape Up Tue 8th October – Tue 17th December,5:30pm – 7pmwww.bhfood.org.uk/events

Shape Up (Central)Wed 23rd October, 10am – 12pmWed 23rd October, 6pm – 8pmwww.bhfood.org.uk/events

Events Autumn 2013

MarketsGeorge Street Farmers Market, everySaturday of every month, 10am-3pmBrighton Farmers Market, Old Steine,third Saturday of every month, 10am-4pm

Churchill Square Farmers Market,every Wednesday, 10am-4pmUpper Gardner Street Market, everySaturday, 8am-5pmFarm Market, 73 North Road, everySaturday, 9:30am-3:30pm