We work to raise awareness about the sustainability and social justice issues surrounding the food we eat. We do that by working hand in hand with our members who are in local geographic groups. Our scope is enlarged through replicable project models, some of which were launched first in Italy, and have since been modified and adapted to the national context with input from our member groups.
Slow Food Pavilion at the BBC Good Food Show
SFUK has a partnership with the BBC Good Food Show (GFS) to prepare and manage a Slow Food Pavilion at the shows in Glasgow, London and Birmingham where UK producers are on show and taste education workshops are offered. Producers get very reduced rates and can also apply for a bursary award for a complimentary stand in the Slow Food UK Pavilion. The combined average attendance at a BBC GFS show is over 100,000 persons; thus offering a major opportunity for those small producers selected by Slow Food to display at the shows as well as bringing “taste education” to a wider public through our taste workshops which teach how to appreciate and/or cook with the products.
The Taste Adventure
SFUK launched The Taste Adventure at the Children’s Food Festival organised by the Northmoor Trust in South Oxfordshire in June. This interactive event is aimed at educating children on the use of the five senses when we eat and enjoy good food. A series of ‘zones’ are set up to stimulate the children’s senses through ‘touchy’, ‘smelly’, ‘noisy’, ‘tasty’ and ‘seeing’ areas, where children are encouraged to squish, spy and sniff food in its natural form. Recently two member groups implemented The Taste Adventure at their local food festivals getting great feedback from participants. The Taste Adventure is being requested at festivals and events around the country.
The Ark of Taste and Presidia
SFUK’s work in the Ark of Taste and Presidia relates to protecting food heritage, resurrecting dying practices and saving endangered food species. SFUK is working in ‘defence of biodiversity’ through the Slow Food Foundation of Biodiversity (in Italy) assisted framework for the ‘Ark of Taste’ and ‘Presidia’. This helps to ensure that indigenous food and production methods are not lost in the face of homogenisation and commercialism. Through this framework, SFUK defends local food traditions, protects biodiversity and promotes small-scale quality products in the UK.
Slow Food-Southbank Centre Market Partnership
SFUK has a partnership with London’s Southbank Centre to plan and manage a continuing series of markets to coincide with Southbank’s theatrical calendar. Art and cultural side activities are often offered in tandem with taste workshops. The first Slow Food Market kicked off in association with ‘Pestival’ - a celebration of the symbiotic relationship between insects and food.
Terra Madre
Terra Madre (Mother Earth) is the Slow Food global network of food communities, each committed to producing quality food in a responsible, sustainable way. SFUK manages and supports the UK Terra Madre network of stakeholders and works with our international office and members groups to bring selected stakeholders, typically producers, food educators and activists, to the Terra Madre conference. The Terra Madre forum is a bi-annual conference held in Turin, Italy. Terra Madre acts as a forum for discussion and the introduction of innovative concepts in the fields of biodiversity, gastronomy, globalisation, food security and education. It is the keystone event of our third thematic area, food communities, and representative of our work in developing countries.
UK Youth Food Movement
The Youth Food Movement is under the Slow Food global umbrella; the Youth Food Movement UK is the UK arm of that. The UK Youth Food Movement (YFM UK) is a network of young farmers, cooks, artisans, activists and students that is actively changing the future of food and farming in the UK. With the goal of bringing more food that is 'good clean and fair', to their communities, they strive to realign local and regional food systems with the principles of justice and sustainability. SFUK supports the UK Youth Food Movement in it's projects including organising Eat – Ins - protest potlucks where good, clean, and fair food is prepared and shared in public spaces and starting farmer’s markets and gardens on campuses.
