Community Feast Blog - 10/10/21
It takes a village to hold a feast! And what we saw at The Vench on Sunday Oct 10th was an overwhelming example of a community coming together. For some families, it was the first time seeing folks in their community. For others, it was a great opportunity to catch up with their own family in a warm, welcoming space, where food is not an issue and play opportunities abound. Regardless of where everyone was at, all were welcome from 3-5:30pm at The Vench!
From 3 - 4pm, Becky, the Little Foxes chef led a cooking demonstration on how to make a harty, tasty chilli with store cupboard items and some lovely produce donated by our nearest growing project, Hazelnut Community Farm (just behind Buzz Lockleaze). We had great participation from local families who got stuck in grating, chopping and learning tips and tricks along the way. They got to see their creation on display for the community to enjoy.
Alongside the community-made chilli, our friends and long-time supporters from Hart’s Bakery made us a Roast Carrot Tagine and many sourdough loaves, pasties and enough cookies to feed us all! Our other friends from Heart of BS13 donated a plentiful, tasty pot of squash soup with some beautiful accompaniments. We are so lucky to have both Hart’s Bakery and Heart of BS13 as food partners, as they are engaged agents of change in the Bristol food landscape. They both do work around growing, sourcing and making their food.
The idea behind the event was to celebrate harvest, cooking with ingredients that are easy to find, reasonably easy to grow, in season and as few food miles as possible. All the food was vegan - minus the buttery pasties and the cheesy toast that lured the more reluctant eaters in for a look at the colours on display.
We served 100 meals, the community had sunshine, had a play and a catch-up. This was a great opportunity for the Lockleaze Climate Action Team to engage in conversations about what we can all do to lessen our impact on the environment.
Thank you to the fantastic food partners who really did provide us with the sustenance needed! Thanks to The Vench Play staff and the Climate Champions who are always so great to work with. Thanks to Becky and Archie for looking after the food and big thanks to everyone who pitched in on the day.
- IULIA, COMMUNITY CLIMATE ACTION CHAMPION
