This episode is a follow on from the previous episode, During our visit to the Action Day for Nature I went on a guided tour around the site. I must say it was an inspirational guide to what can be done to share our amenity spaces with nature. Full credit needs to given to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and Andy Steele, who has done such sterling work at the rugby ground. But that isn't really what this episode is about, even though it takes place in that wonderful naturally managed space. Nor is...
Jun 23, 2025•24 min•Ep. 17
The food system is never just about food - that's why it's so damnably complex. And that's why, as a food partnership, we are as likely to be found doing outreach at a health fair as seed swap. And that's why this month we were at an Action Day, where Yorkshire Wildlife Trust West Hull community Hub were showcasing some of the amazing changes they have made to the grounds of a local rugby club. We were there running a stall alongside with several other organisations, mostly with an environmental...
May 28, 2025•28 min•Ep. 16
We present "The Gourmet's Guide to Europe", a truly remarkable book, in many ways the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet of it's day; if you were an Edwardian Gentleman of refined tastes and deep pockets. Replete with the attitudes and opinions of the day, this is a book that reveals the historical roots of what we might still call "fine dining" So sit back and enjoy a bill of fayre that includes: when to avoid the restaurants at Trouville , a warning of what to expect at when dining at a German inn, ...
Apr 22, 2025•26 min•Ep. 15
Cheese, Not everyone likes it, but those that do like it, tend to love it. Along with it's sometime partner, wine, it is one of those ancient foodstuffs that takes a few simple ingredients and seems produce infinite variety; thanks to traditional craft skills, and latterly, applied sciences. A few months ago I was sharing an Uber with Carlos, on the way home from a conference, and he let slip that he was in international cheese judge. Intrigued and delighted, I knew we just had to get him on the...
Mar 19, 2025•30 min•Ep. 14
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that many of the listeners to this podcast will have a fair idea of what a community food organisation is, and what is does. Some of you at least will work for one. But for those of you less familiar with what they are and how they do it , prepare for a bit of a deep dive into the whys and wherefores of a sector that has increased massively; in numbers, and in social importance, over recent years. For those of you most familiar with this sector, it is always...
Feb 26, 2025•26 min•Ep. 13
This is the final episode of this mini-series . It marks 20 years since Hull City Council decided they would provide free school meals for all Primary pupils, saw that the regulations didn't allow for this, and then set about getting those regulations changed. We've spoken to the policy maker and the policy deliverer. In this episode it's time to hear from one of the teachers who worked in school when the Eat Well Do Well initiative came into being. Maureen Hulme was a primary school teacher in ...
Jan 13, 2025•30 min•Ep. 12
In the last episode of the pod cast we spoke with Colin Inglis, The Hull City Council leader who implemented the country's first ever provision of Universal Free School meals. Not only this, the council's catering department brought in a policy of providing healthy and nutritious meals, years before Jamie Oliver thankfully shamed the government into re-establishing minimum school food standards. In part 2 of this 3 part mini series it made sense to talk with someone who delivered these much impr...
Dec 16, 2024•25 min•Ep. 11
As I'm sure many of you are aware, there is a campaign to to implement universal free school meals for every school pupil, whatever their circumstances. perhaps, just perhaps, this is an idea whose time has come. It is, for the the being at least, already in operation in both Scotland and London.It may be a current consideration, but it's by no means a new idea. 20 years ago, here in Hull, the council showed the political will necessary to make it happen, going as far as getting the law changed ...
Nov 19, 2024•31 min•Ep. 10
I love a good trade show. I know they aren't everybody's cup of tea, so I went so that you don't have to. There is a scale as well as a complexity to the food system. Standing in the centre of the huge show, which is also a tiny part of a small section of just catering, you get an inkling of how big it is. In this episode I talk tp some of the exhibitors about food, but also some of the other businesses that serve the food industry, from packaging to software. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...
Oct 23, 2024•27 min•Ep. 9
Community growing is a two handed endeavour, on the one hand you need to know how to care for your brassicas, and on the other you need to nurture the community. John Pickles has both skillsets in spades. In this episode we talk about managing a community allotment, and an exciting new project funded by Friends of the Earth, which will see community led rewilding in several neighbourhoods, including two in Hull. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 18, 2024•30 min•Ep. 8
The term 'Intensive farming' brings to mind unsustainable and un-natural practices - although to the fair all, forms of farming are actually un-natural if you think about it.But intensive can also mean a highly controlled growing system, that uses resources as efficiently as possible to maximise harvests. Like all farming methods, the sustainability and environmental impact of intensive farming will depends on how it is done, as well as the specifics of the particular farming system. Aquaponics ...
Jul 25, 2024•26 min•Ep. 7
I'm sure we all have memories of school dinners - if you ever get the chance to visit a school in adulthood, two odours that will drag you straight back to childhood, floor polish and the dining hall. Some of us are old enough to remember school lunches before the food and nutritinal standards were repealed, and some of you may have attended at the height of the turkey twizzler craze. These days, apparently, school food standards are back. But with around 40% of primary schools, and over 80% of ...
Jun 24, 2024•26 min•Ep. 6
How, and what, we teach the next generation about food is a mammoth subject, so expect us to return to this issue more than once. But for now, we are going to dive straight into middle. this is where we address past failures; and face that one last chance to put things right, before adulthood. In this episode I talk to 2 different guests, who are both delivering food eduction to young people (by which I mean around 16-25 years old) in non-formal educational; settings. Hosted on Acast. See acast....
May 28, 2024•28 min•Ep. 5
No market is perfect, and when it comes to the international food trade, any well considered examination must conclude that it is not equitable, even when examined under the most free market ethos. We can either rail against these iniquities, or we can do something about it. In this month's podcast we're going to talk about an organisation that is doing something about, and enables us to do something, about it too. I met Joanna Fianu when she came over to Hull to talk about both Fairtrade and so...
Apr 22, 2024•33 min•Ep. 4
Do we really know where our food comes from? Can we guarantee how is is grown, how it is processed and what it actually contains? Once a supply chain becomes so long that no-one can see from one end to the other, there are opportunities to game the system, or worse. Food Crime is comes in several forms, it ranges from mis-labeling or substituting for cheaper ingredients all the way to using ingredients that harm consumers, or producing food in a way that abuses the workers. In this month's episo...
Mar 20, 2024•29 min•Ep. 3
I think we all love the idea of locally grown organic food, freshly harvested and delivered to our door. But what does it take to make this happen. Is it scaleable; is it even viable. I took a tour of one of only a handful of local organic market gardens in our region. If you are interested in the case studies behind the podcast, you can find the original recordings at our youtube channel: Veg Cities Hull, or the edited write-ups on our website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...
Feb 18, 2024•23 min•Ep. 2
Feeding children well has benefits that are almost too numerous to count. But what if the children you are feeding lack the confidence or experience to try new foods. Taste Ed is a charity that offers a brilliant and effective solution. In this episode, I talk to Fran Box about what Taste Ed has to offer schools, community projects and families, to help their children develop a taste for good food. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jan 17, 2024•25 min•Ep. 1
