SLOW FOOD CINEMA: Recent documentary films compiled by Stephen Nottingham

Film	length	year	description	credits
A Year in Burgundy	1 h 31 m	2013	Seven families discuss the cultural and creative process of making wine in the Burgundy region of France.	Dir: David Kennard
Addicted to Sheep	1 h 26 m	2015	UK: In North Pennines, tenant farmers Tom & Kay look after a flock of prized sheep. This film follows them on the farm for a year.	Dir: Magali Pettier
Bananas*	1 h 20 m	2009	Sweden: The effects (death, infertility) of Dole’s use of a banned chemical on workers in banana plantations in Nicaragua.	Dir. Fredrik Gertten
Big Boys Gone Bananas	1 h 30 m	2011	Sweden/Germany/UK/USA/Denmark: In 2009 Dole Food Company campaigned to prevent the screening of ‘Bananas’ at Los Angeles film festival. Three years later, the director comes back with another eye-opening documentary examining the right to freedom of speech and the story of what happens when filmmakers go up against a large corporation like Dole.	Dir. Fredrik Gertten
Can You Dig This	1 h 20 m	2015	USA: South Los Angeles. As part of an urban gardening movement taking root in South LA, people are planting to transform their neighbourhoods. This film follows the inspirational journeys of four unlikely gardeners, discovering what happens when they put their hands in the soil. The film features inspirational guerrilla gardener Ron Finley.	Dir. Delila Vallot
Discovering Lindane: the legacy of HCH production	33 m	2015	Spain: The legacy of Lindane production in northern Spain, and a project demonstrating how to clean up pesticide contamination here and in similar situations.	Film by Arturo Hortas
Edible City: A documentary about the good food movement	55 m	2014	USA: “fun, fast-paced journey through the local Good Food Movement taking root in the San Francisco Bay Area, and around the world. Introducing a diverse cast of extraordinary and eccentric characters who are challenging the paradigm of our broken food system, EDIBLE CITY digs into their unique perspectives and transformative work—from edible education to grassroots activism to building local economies…”	Dir: Andrew Hasse
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress	1 h 48 m	2010	Germany: For 6 months of the year, Spanish chef Ferran Adrià and his team used to close El Bulli to prepare the innovative menu for the next season. An elegant, detailed study of food as avant-garde art.	Dir: Gereon Wetzel
Farmageddon: The unseen war on American family farms	1 h 26 m	2011	USA: The story of a mom whose son healed from all allergies and asthma after consuming raw milk and real food from farms. It shows people all over US forming food co-ops and private clubs to get these foods, and how they were raided by state and local governments.	Dir: Kristin Canty
Fed Up	1 h 32 m	2014	USA: A look at the causes of obesity epidemic and the food industry's role in aggravating it.	Film by Stephanie Soechtig & Katie Couric
Fish Meat	29 & 52 m	2012	USA/Turkey: As our hunger for seafood grows, the seas are running out of fish. But what exactly is farmed fish? Two friends, a fish scientist and environmental engineer, take a sailing voyage to pull back the cover on modern fish farming. Along the way they discover the tragedy of Bluefin Tuna and the joy of carp.	Dir: Joe Cunningham Writer: Ted Caplow
Food, inc	1 h 34 m	2008	USA: An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry. Contributors include Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser and Richard Lobb.	Dir: Robert Kenner
Grazers: A Cooperative Story	69 m	2014	USA: With increasing interest in farm-to-table food, a small group of upstate New York farmers sees an opportunity to hold on to their endangered farms by raising and selling grass-fed beef. The film follows the cooperatives efforts for two years, exposing the difficulties facing small-scale farming in our modern, industrial world.	Film by Sarah Teale & Lisa F Jackson
Good Things Await	90 m	2014	Denmark/USA (subtitled): Farmer Niels Stokholm and his wife Rita work the biodynamic farm in Thorshøjgaardalternative, Denmark, with natural livestock rearing and other alternative methods, and they supply top restaurants (e.g. NOMA), but in conflict with national organic standards body.	Dir. Phie Ambo
Growing Cities	1 h 37 m	2013	USA: A film examining the role of urban farming in America, asking how much power it has to revitalize our cities and change the way we eat.	Dir: Daniel Susman, co-writer Andrew Monbouquette
Hungry for Change	1 h 29 m	2012	Exposes ‘secrets’ of diet and weight loss - deceptive food industries strategies designed to keep you coming back for more.	Dir: James Colquhoun & Laurentine Ten Bosch
Ingredients: The Local Food Movement takes Root	1 h 13 m	2009	USA: American food is crisis: obesity and diabetes, family farms in decline and environment in jeopardy. The film explores a local food movement, seeking more flavour and nutrition to bring good food back to the table and health back to communities. Contributions from Alice Waters and several restaurateurs.	Dir: Robert Bates
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story	75 m	2014	USA/UK (focus on USA). Filmmakers and food lovers Jen & Grant look at the issue of food waste, from farm to fridge. After catching a glimpse of billions of dollars of good food tossed away each year in North America, they pledge to survive only on discarded food.	Dir: Grant Baldwin
Local Food Roots	35 m	2014	UK: The emergence of innovative local food movement from a handful of pioneers in the early 90s to diverse UK-wide movement; first organic box schemes to today’s local food culture.	f3/Sprout Films Joy Carey co-producer & scriptwriter
Moo Man	97 m	2013	UK: Filmed over 4 years on marshes of the Pevensey Levels, maverick farmer Stephen Hook turns his back on cost-cutting dairies and supermarkets, and instead stays small and family-run to keep a close relationship with his herd of cows.	Dir: Andy Heathcote
More than Honey	92 m	2013	Switzerland/Germany/Austria: Delightful, informative & suitably contemplative study of the bee world. State-of-the-art film making (with surprisingly up-closes) looks at why bee populations worldwide are collapsing. English version narrated by John Hurt.	Film by Markus Imhoof
Noma: My Perfect Storm	1 h 40 m	2015	Focus on chef and Noma co-owner René Redzepi’s work, as he searches for inspiration in Denmark and reflects on the Copenhagen restaurant’s success. The restaurant helped bring Scandinavian food to the world’s attention. The films looks at foraging and local food sourcing.	Dir: Pierre Deschamps
Open Sesame: The Story of Seeds	82 m	2014	Protecting endangered seed varieties (90% of fruit & veg varieties existing 100 years ago are gone. Maintaining remaining seed biodiversity essential to breed new varieties resistant to pests or that will thrive in temperature extremes and a changing climate.	Film by Sean Kaminsky
Raising Shrimp	52 m	2013	USA: Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the USA, but 90% is imported and most of that is farmed. How is shrimp farmed? Is it safe to eat? What happened to the American shrimp fishery?  Among questions asked.	Film by Joe Cunningham  & Ted Caplow
Slow Food Story	1 h 14 m	2013	Italy/Ireland: In 1986, Carlo Petrini founded the ArciGola Gastronomic Association in Italy and 3 years later launched Slow Food, an international anti-fast-food resistance movement. From the tiny town of Bra, home to some 27,000 inhabitants, the Slow Food movement has grown to become a revolution that now has roots in more than 150 countries. Cheese-makers, vintners, and artisanal food folk, toast Slow Food for bringing about a change in consciousness that shook the very foundation of gastronomy. Featuring Carlo Petrini and narrated by Azio Citi.	Dir: Stefano Sardo
Slow Food Videos	1 m – 20 min		Range of Slow Food videos on all aspects of Slow Food’s campaigns.
Seeds of Time	77 m	2013	USA: The story of Cary Fowler's drive to collect seeds and create a seed bank to preserve agricultural biodiversity - the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on the arctic island of Spitsbergen, Norway.	Dir: Sandy McLeod
Symphony of the Soil	103 m	2012	USA: An artistic exploration of soil. By understanding elaborate relationships and mutuality between soil, water, atmosphere, plants and animals, we come to appreciate the complex & dynamic nature of this precious resource. Includes use/misuse of soil in agriculture etc worldwide and soil’s key role in ameliorating the most challenging environmental issues of our time.	A film by Deborah Koons Garcia
The Clean Bin Project	76 m	2011	USA: Is it possible to live completely waste free? Partners Jen & Grant go head to head in a competition to swear off consumerism and produce the least garbage [focus on packaging/ecological impacts]	Dir: Grant Baldwin
The Farmer and The Horse	1 h 17 m	2010	USA: Film about sustainability, self-sufficiency, and why we do the work we do. Difficulties and satisfaction of organic farming, through one New Jersey farmer’s experience (doesn’t use a tractor). Concerns land use, the environment, and good food.	Film by Jared Flesher
The Last Catch (15)	85& 52 m	2012	Germany: Fish stocks facing collapse. Focus on Bluefin tuna. Modern big business, traditional family fishing business and industry critic POVs.	Dir: Markus Schmidt
This Changes Everything	89 m	2015	USA/Canada. Filmed in 9 countries/5 continents over 4 years, this documentary looks at the vast challenge of climate change. Inspired by Naomi Klein's bestseller.	Dir: Avi Lewis

Nightingale Community Garden joins National Gardens Scheme

Nightingale Community Garden in Dinas Powys is opening for the first time as part of the National Gardens Scheme (NGS), over the weekend of Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 July 2016. It will join seven other Dinas Powys gardens, some of them veterans of the scheme that sees gardens opening to the public and raising money for charity. One of the local charities that benefits is Dinas Powys Voluntary Concern.

As with the private gardens in the Dinas Powys gardens group, the Community Garden will be open from 11am to 6pm over the weekend. The gardens can be visited for a combined admission price of £5.00, with children free. You’ll find home-made teas/cakes and plant sales in some of the gardens. The Community Garden will have volunteers and plot-holders around all weekend to answer questions. I’ll report here nearer the time on planned activities in the garden.

From the NGS brochure:
“Nightingale Community Garden, Sir Ivor Place, Dinas Powys, CF64 4QZ
Three years ago the gardens were created on an old derelict playground with funding from Tidy Town Wales. 27 Gardens were created including 2 raised beds for the physically handicapped. Many local residents, young and old, grow a variety of vegetables, fruit and flowers. The excess is donated weekly to the local Food Bank. In addition we have 2 Greenhouses and a communal area for activities.
How to find us: Along pathway between Sir Ivor Place & Nightingale Place. At T-lights on Cardiff Rd, turn R by school if driving from Barry, or L if driving from Cardiff/Penarth. Continue, then take 2nd R at Camm's Corner. You may park here.”

For further information, including details of the other gardens, visit the Dinas Powys Group Gardens page on the National Gardens Scheme website:
http://www.ngs.org.uk/gardens/find-a-garden/Garden.aspx?id=30309

Timeline for Nightingale Community Garden, Dinas Powys:
Jan 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.com/2012/01/creating-community-garden.html
The initial idea and looking for funding

Feb 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/creating-community-garden-2.html
The involvement of Creative Rural Communities and the first plan for the site

Aug 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/creating-community-garden-3.html

Oct 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/creating-community-garden-4.html
Funding in place and residents are briefed on progress

Jan 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/creating-community-garden-5.html
Work starts clearing the ground

Feb 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/creating-community-garden-6.html
Building contractors on site

March 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/creating-community-garden-7.html
Topsoil is spread and the first garden visit occurs

April 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/creating-community-garden-8.html
The plots are marked out and allocated, the first plants go in

June 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/creating-community-garden-9.html
Photos of the garden flourishing in its first year

Sept 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/creating-community-garden-10.html
The official opening of the community garden, with guests including Jane Hutt AM and Derek Brockway

May 2014
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/creating-community-garden-11.html
Progress report a year after opening – a highly productive local food growing area

July 2014
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/nightingale-community-garden-links-up.html
The Community Garden links up with the local food bank – to supply fresh food to supplement the basic food bank boxes

July 2015
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/the-two-year-old-community-garden-and.html
One of the Community Garden’s youngest gardeners, Dan Tailby (age 6) who grew his first plants in the communal family plot in the garden, is a finalist in the 2015 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Young Gardener of the Year Awards

Cardiff Urban Buzz

The charity Buglife launched ‘Cardiff Urban Buzz’ at the Chapter Arts Centre on 24 Nov 2015. Cardiff is one of eight cities across the UK that will receive funding over a total of three years (18 months each) within the Urban Buzz project, which aims to benefit both pollinators and people. Funded by a Biffa Award (from landfill tax), the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Garfield Weston Foundation and other organisations, depending on location, Urban Buzz will create pollinator habitats, such as wildflower meadows, and engage with a diverse range of people, groups and organisations. The project will provide volunteers with training and experience in the field of habitat creation, habitat assessment, and conservation practice.

Clare Dunham of Buglife welcomed us all to the launch event. She put the initiative into context, for example, its contribution to the Welsh Assembly Government’s Action Plan for Pollinators.

Urban Buzz is one of two projects involving Buglife that aim to benefit pollinating insects (mainly bees, but also other invertebrates such as butterflies, moths and beetles). The other project is B-lines, in which a network of wildflower-rich grassland corridors is being established through the countryside. This is a good example of landscape-scale conservation (see link below), and provides the ecological corridors linking biodiversity that are vital as habitats increasingly fragment and the climate changes. Such a system of B-lines is being planned for South Wales, along the lines of B-lines already created in the West of England as a result of a collaboration between Buglife and Avon Wildlife Trust.

At the Urban Buzz launch, Councillor Bob Derbyshire (Rumney, Cardiff) outlined the importance to Cardiff of the project, which will establish partnerships to enhance parks and gardens for wildlife in the city.

Michelle Bales of Buglife then reminded us of the importance of pollinators and provided more detail about Cardiff Urban Buzz. Urban areas provide an important refuge for pollinators, particularly bees, which are declining in the countryside due to loss of natural habitats, intensive farming practices and the use of pesticides. The decline in the total number and the number of species of bumblebees, honeybees and other pollinators are genuinely alarming, especially given that they are vital for the pollination of many food crops and a large amount of our native flora. One in every three mouthfuls of food, accordingly to statistics presented here, contains a food crop pollinated by insects.

In Cardiff, a local steering group will direct the Cardiff Urban Buzz actions; the group will include Buglife, Cardiff Council, the local Wildlife Trust, the National Museum Wales in Cardiff, Keep Wales Tidy and a range of local community groups. The project aims to create habitats for pollinators in partnership with local organisations. The overall goal is to create 100 habitat areas in the eight cities (25 ha per city), on both the small and large scale. This will include wildflower meadows, green walls, bee hotels, and other appropriate foraging and nesting sites for pollinator species. Engaging with a diverse range of people and organisations, to raise awareness and to get as many volunteers on board as possible, is an essential part of the project. Volunteers will be able to learn new practical skills through training workshops in habitat creation, habitat assessment, identification and monitoring. The project will provide tools and resources for habitat creation, and the capacity that will enable these local initiatives to carry on after the 18 months of the Cardiff Urban Buzz project.

Michelle pointed us in the direction of the project website – www.buglife.org.uk/urban-buzz/cardiff - where people can suggest sites for pollinator habitat creation or enhancement. These sites already include parks, Cathays Cemetery, river and lakeside areas, and allotments. Further along the line, there will be a public voting system to prioritise lines of action. This all helps create the sense of ownership necessary for the longevity of the project actions.

The next stage will be volunteer recruitment and the selection of sites, so visit the website or contact Michelle Bales (michelle.bales@buglife.org.uk) if you are interested or know a good as yet unsuggested site.

Julie Hughes, representing the Heritage Lottery Fund, gave the final short presentation. In south Wales, the Heritage Lottery Fund has funded numerous natural heritage projects, including two high profile projects: the Living Levels to promote conservation in the Gwent Levels and the Forgotten Landscape Partnership Project focused on the Blaenavon World Heritage Site (the wildlife value of coal spoil tips and brownfield sites are now starting to be recognised). The selection criteria focuses on what people consider important, and what will provide benefits to both nature and people. So far the Cardiff-based Heritage Lottery Fund Wales has distributed around £320 million to around 2,300 projects of widely-ranging sizes in Wales.

Selected previous posts on pollinators on this blog:

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/nectar-point-networks.html

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/nectar-point-networks-2.html

A news story I did on the ‘The Future of Landscape-scale Conservation in Europe’ meeting in Bristol (4-5 March 2015) for the EC LIFE Programme website:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/news/newsarchive2015/march/index.htm#landscape-scale

See also:
http://www.buglife.org.uk
http://www.hlf.org.uk
http://bumblebeeconservation.org

In the archive at St Fagans National History Museum

Members of the Slow Food South East Wales Committee visited the archive at the St Fagans National History Museum this week, to look at the wealth of food and drink related material in the collection. We plan to make use of this material in upcoming Slow Food South East Wales events, for example, to give historical context to planned meetings that focus on particular topics, such as beekeeping or Welsh lamb.

The material in the archive includes films and photographs, index cards with recipes, taped audio interviews, and letters sent by the public describing their typical daily diet in the early 1960s. It all amounts to an invaluable resource, detailing knowledge of local food culture that is in danger of being lost.

Many of the films in the archive were given by BBC Wales and the commercial channel TWW (Television Wales and the West), at a time when these broadcasters did not usually keep their own documentary footage on tape. We watched a film about cider making in Monmouth in the 1960s; a film showing cockle harvesting on Llanrhidian Marsh, the cleaning and cooking process, and their journey to Swansea Market; and two that were filmed in one of the farmhouses on the St Fagans site that represent the only visual record of the preparation of traditional cake recipes.

The majority of the food-related material in the archive relates to the work of S. Minwel Tibbot at the National History Museum, who travelled throughout Wales in the 1970s interviewing the older generation of woman about their food memories. We listening to some of the tape recordings of interviews conducted by S. Minwel Tibbot, in which she obtained detailed information about traditional dishes. This information informed her classic books, including ‘Welsh Fare’ and ‘Geirfa'r gegin’. In one sound recording, conducted by S. Minwel Tibbott in 1971, Mrs Griffiths of Gwaelod-y-Garth describes how she made and sold two types of toffee (white and brown) from her home in Pentyrch at the beginning of the 20th century. In another recording, with Mrs Rogers in 1972, we hear about family recipes for peas pudding, parsley pie, Aunt Martha’s pudding, Granny’s pudding, nettle pop and mead.

The image library has a room of its own, with slides and photos mounted on card arranged by theme in filing cabinets. The archive has also amassed a large recipe collection, obtained through questionnaires, letters and handwritten recipes passed down through the generations. At this year’s St Fagans Food Festival in September, visitors were asked to contribute to this collection, by sharing their family recipes.

Look out for some of this material in the new galleries at St Fagans National History Museum, when they open after redevelopment, and at upcoming Slow Food South East Wales events.


Slow Food South East Wales currently has a stall at the Riverside Farmers’ Market in Cardiff (Sundays 10am-2pm), with a cook book swap and recipe advice.

To celebrate Slow Food’s Terra Madre Day on 10 December, Slow Food South East Wales will be holding an event in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Group, with a focus on honey and beekeeping.

In the spring, Slow Food South East Wales will be holding an event on a farm, where Welsh lamb takes centre stage.

I will forward on further info in a future blog post. In the meantime, you could follow @SlowFoodSEWales on Twitter.

Previous posts concerning Slow Food on this blog:

Slow Food South East Wales launches at St Fagans

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/slow-food-south-east-wales-launches-at.html

Welsh products in the Ark of Taste

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/welsh-products-in-ark-of-taste.html

Bringing Slow Food to South East Wales

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/welsh-products-in-ark-of-taste.html

More on the St Fagans archives:

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/curatorial/social-cultural-history/archives/

More on the extension at St Fagans:

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/stfagans/makinghistory/

 

 

 

Welsh products seeking EU Protected Food Name registration

You may have seen recent articles in the national and regional media about British food and drink products seeking EU Protected Food Name status. There are currently 63 protected food names in the UK, and many more have been proposed - with the UK government wanting the number of protected British foods to increase to 200.

Here in Wales, for instance, nine products have been put forward for consideration: Carmarthen ham, Traditional Welsh Caerphilly cheese, Traditionally-reared Pedigree Welsh pork, Conwy mussels, Welsh laverbread, West Wales coracle-caught salmon, West Wales coracle-caught sewin, Traditional Welsh cider and Traditional Welsh perry. They will join products such as Halen Mon Anglesey Sea Salt, which was awarded EU Protected Food Name status last year.

This post gives a bit more background, than found in the mainstream media articles, about how these foods are considered by the European Commission (EC) for protected name status.

The system for the protection of food names on a geographical or traditional recipe basis in the EU dates from a piece of legislation in 1993. The EU Protected Food Name scheme was introduced to highlight regional and traditional foods whose authenticity and origin can be guaranteed. It encourages diverse agricultural production, protects product names from misuse and imitation, and helps consumers by giving them information concerning the specific characteristics of the products.

There are three marks (and logos) that can be awarded to regional and traditional products:
Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), which covers agricultural products and foodstuffs which are produced, processed and prepared in a given geographical area using recognised know-how;
Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which covers agricultural products and foodstuffs closely linked to their geographical area (i.e. at least one key production stage takes place in the area); and
Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG), which highlights traditional character, either in the composition or means of production.

In Wales, for example, Welsh Lamb and Pembroke Early Potatoes have been awarded PGI status, while Anglesey Sea Salt was the first Welsh product to be awarded PDO status. The characteristic flavour of Welsh lamb arises from traditional breeds and extensive farming practices; early potatoes have long been grown in Pembrokeshire using a distinct method (e.g. leaving stones in fields to warm the soil); while sea salt, produced in Anglesey since Roman times, has a distinct appearance, flavour and mouthfeel compared to other salts.

If a product is successful in its registration under the scheme, it will be given legal protection against imitation throughout the EU. Inferior imitation products in Italy and Spain, for instance, had been using ‘Halon Mon’ on their labels – under the EU Protected Food Name scheme the producers of these can be prosecuted.  Registration also raises awareness of regional and speciality foods throughout Europe.

The UK government, through DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), gives guidance on how to apply to register a product under the EU Protected Food Name scheme: https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-names-guidance-for-producers

Applications (based on a template supplied by the EC) can be put forward by groups of producers or individuals. The Caws Cenarth diary is applying through DEFRA, for example, to register Traditional Welsh Caerphilly. The submission, which is for PDO status, is the final stages of review and includes details of milk sourcing and the production process, a definition of the product’s chemical composition, and a history of Caerphilly cheese production in the area. These submissions are a good source of information about the food products: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317278/welsh-caerphilly-specification.pdf

In the case of Carmarthen Ham (“an air dried salt cured ham made from pork legs”) the application is being made by Chris Rees and his family, who have handed down the recipe for five generations. You can read their application for PGI status here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/380562/carmarthen-ham-pgi-spec-141127.pdf

Selwyn's Penclawdd Seafoods in Llanmorlais, Swansea, is seeking PDO status for Welsh laverbread: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/388236/welsh-laverbread-spec-update.pdf

The Conwy Mussel Group submitted an application for protected name status for Conwy mussels: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/395767/conwy-mussels-prod-spec20150113.pdf

The application for traditionally reared pedigree Welsh pork, also in the final stages of review, is for TSG status: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/360526/traditionally-reared-pedigree-welsh-pork-specification.pdf

The Carmarthen Coracle and Netsmen’s Association are applying for PGI status for both West Wales coracle caught salmon and West Wales coracle caught sewin: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/256321/wwcc-salmon-spec.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/256322/wwcc-sewin-spec.pdf

Meanwhile, the Welsh Perry and Cider Society Limited, representing 44 producers and based in Newport, is applying for PFO status for both Traditional Welsh cider and Traditional Welsh perry:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/339507/welsh-cider-pdo.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/339508/welsh-perry-pdo.pdf

There is also an amendment to an application for Welsh beef (PGI status) in the system:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278748/welsh-beef-pgi.pdf

At the national level, an application dossier compiled by the submitting producer group or individual is assessed by DEFRA. This is subjected to a national opposition procedure, giving other organisations or individuals an opportunity to query the application. All valid applications are then sent to the European Commission for assessment. The relevant EC committee first looks at each application to see if it complies with the relevant legislation, primarily four EC Food Quality regulations. This process can take up to six months, after which applications are either rejected or published in an EU Official Journal. From this, an EU-wide opposition procedure starts whereby objections from other producers or individuals can be made over a three-month period. If any objection is made, there is a two-month period for deciding on the validity of objections. Finally, successful applications are registered under the scheme as a protected food name.

There can be big economic benefits to having regional food names protected. The Welsh Government, for example, is promoting the country as a food tourism destination; so a greater number of recognised regional specialities is desirable. In other parts of the UK, similar economic benefits could occur, for example, in Birmingham’s Balti Triangle if Birmingham Balti is successful in getting TSG status within the EU Protected Food Names scheme.

The Protected Food Name scheme is a continuous process, so not all the decisions are reported at once. You can search the EC DOOR database ("Database Of Origin & Registration") to find how each application for EU Protected name status is doing (Applied, Published or Registered): http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/list.html

I will report back at a later date with some analysis on the outcomes of the above applications.

The two year old Community Garden and the six year old Community Gardener

The Nightingale Community Garden in Dinas Powys is in its second year, having opened in April 2013. I have been posting regular updates since the garden was on the drawing board, and include a chronological index of posts below for newcomers to this strand.

I also include some photos taken last week (hard to believe this was a weed-infested abandoned play area and the focus for anti-social behaviour just a few years ago) and report on some great news concerning one of our youngest gardeners.

The largest plot in the garden was allocated to a group of families from Dinas Powys Infants School. Through this, organiser Angela Peterken and the five families involved introduced at least eight children (and their friends) to the joys of communal gardening.

One of those young people, who grew his first plants in the Community Garden, was a finalist in this years Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Young Gardener of the Year Awards. Dan Tailby (now aged 6) and his family went to the RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey for the prize-giving ceremony on Saturday 5 July 2015. He was one of four finalists in his age group. Although he did not win the overall prize, the decision was said to be very close and the judges want to keep in touch with him.

This is Dan in a story in one of our local papers:

The judges were impressed with the 5-minute video filmed at Nightingale Community Garden, with Dan, his family, Angela and others. They're our beans forming a backdrop to his interview! The video can be found on Dan's page on the RHS website:

https://schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/Competitions/school-gardeners-of-the-year/School-Gardener-of-the-Year-2015-Results/Young-School-Gardener-Daniel-Tailby

This highlights the success of the garden and how community gardens in general can inspire children and bring families together to grow their own food.

Timeline for Nightingale Community Garden, Dinas Powys:

Jan 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.com/2012/01/creating-community-garden.html
The initial idea and looking for funding

Feb 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/creating-community-garden-2.html
The involvement of Creative Rural Communities and the first plan for the site

Aug 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/creating-community-garden-3.html

Oct 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/creating-community-garden-4.html
Funding in place and residents are briefed on progress

Jan 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/creating-community-garden-5.html
Work starts clearing the ground

Feb 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/creating-community-garden-6.html
The building contractors on site

March 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/creating-community-garden-7.html
Topsoil is spread and the first garden visit occurs

April 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/creating-community-garden-8.html
The plots are marked out and allocated, the first plants go in

June 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/creating-community-garden-9.html
Photos of the garden flourishing in its first year

Sept 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/creating-community-garden-10.html
The official opening of the community garden, with guests including Jane Hutt AM and Derek Brockway

May 2014
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/creating-community-garden-11.html
Progress report a year after opening – a highly productive local food growing area

July 2014
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/nightingale-community-garden-links-up.html
The Community Garden links up with the local food bank – to supply fresh food to supplement the basic food bank boxes

 

Slow Food South East Wales launches at St Fagans

The new Slow Food group for South East Wales (Slow Food Y De-Ddwyrain) launched in style at St Fagans yesterday (6 June), as the wider movement celebrated Slow Food Week (1-7 June).

Mark Richards, Director of Operations at National Museum Wales, welcomed everyone to the Slow Food marquee at St Fagans National History Museum (Cardiff). He noted the Museum’s research in preserving the memory of traditional Welsh food culture, exemplified by Minwel Tibbott’s role in collecting information about food from across Wales in the 1970s; the maintenance of rare animal breeds and heritage varieties (e.g. Welsh Mountain Sheep and Carlin peas) on the Museum’s farm; and how the new £26 million expansion of St Fagans will provide exhibition space for raising awareness about traditional Welsh food culture.

Slow Food South East Wales Chairperson Mark Adams spoke about the objectives of Slow Food, which include the Ark of Taste directory in support of disappearing regional foods, the promotion of small producers of foods traditional to their areas, and educating people about food production and cooking. Mark noted that the new Slow Food group was already starting activities to further a number of key Slow Food objectives.

Mark introduced Jane Hutt AM (below), the Assembly Member for the Vale of Glamorgan and Minister for Finance in the National Assembly government. She welcomed the launch of the fifth Welsh Slow Food group, saying it now gives people throughout Wales the opportunity to participate in a grassroots movement that promotes local and sustainable food production and provides a means of reaching politicians regarding local food issues. She noted several areas of Welsh Government policy that particularly coincide with the principles of Slow Food, such as the free breakfast schemes for schoolchildren (e.g. no extra sugar allowed), the Sustainable Food City initiative for Cardiff, the Well-being of Future Generations Act, and the Food Tourism Strategy Action Plan (Food Tourism being defined by the Welsh Assembly as “any activity that promotes a high-quality, distinctive, local and sustainable food experience…”). Jane Hutt concluded by commenting that, given the convergence of objectives, Wales should aim to become a Slow Food nation.

Geoff Andrews (below), author of ‘The Slow Food Story: Politics and Pleasure’ (Pluto Press, 2008), talked about the origins and history of the Slow Food movement and how its once marginal ideas have become mainstream. Members of the Cardiff, Vale & Valleys Beekeepers talked us through some basic beekeeping, while Joanne Tarling of Love Food Hate Waste gave some useful tips about reducing food waste (e.g. using left-overs and getting portion sizes right), and how this can save you money (up to £60 a month). Liz Torbin of ViVino wines of Hirwaun talked about how the company imports wine from small Spanish producers who do not use pesticides or additives in wine production.

Carol Adams, Secretary of Slow Food South East Wales, gave an introduction to the Ark of Taste. This was followed by a presented on South Wales Mountain Sheep (also called Nelson South Wales Mountain Sheep) by Glyn Davies, Secretary for this livestock breed's association. One of the first projects of the new Slow Food group is to work to get the South Wales Mountain Sheep aboard the Slow Food Ark of Taste. Although ewes of this breed are popular as cross-breeding animals, only about 25 to 30 people are involved in keeping the breed pure. Financial support for this heritage breed was recently lost from a European scheme. Ark of Taste status could help in finding alternative means of support, so the breed can continue to be traditionally farmed in its area of origin.

Around 15 local small-scale food and drink producers from South East Wales, who embrace Slow Food principles, supported the launch, and their products helped to illustrate what the Slow Food movement is all about.

Penrhiw Farm is a family-run business that produces and sells organic Welsh meat, including lambs from South Wales Mountain Sheep and the pedigree Welsh Pig that is already included in the Ark of Taste.

 

Another Welsh Ark of Taste product, artisan Caerphilly Cheese could be found on the Penylan Pantry stall, alongside other cheeses produced by small-scale producers in the South East Wales area. Alongside them, the Boragouiner Bakery (Canton, Cardiff) had soda bread and sourdough loaves, made using Welsh heritage wheat varieties, as well as Halen Môn Welsh sea salt.

The Llantwit Major micro-brewery of Rolant Tomos and Rob Lilford (Tomos a Lilford) was representative of small-scale local beer production in the area. Coaltown coffee roasters import beans from small farms around the world. Dan Reed of Chilli of the Valley currently grows 88 varieties of chilli in a greenhouse near Merthyr Tydfil and produces a wide range of chilli sauces from them. To cool the tongue after sampling those, there was ice cream from Mari (Melin Iâ) of Penarth with innovative flavours, such as sweet fennel fudge. There were homemade jams, curds and chutneys made by Clare Williams of Penylan Preserves, and Hangfire had a range of BBQ sauces. Gluten-free pies could be snapped up from GP Uprising, raw chocolate products were available from Coco-Caravan, while Lia’s Kitchen was selling pies made using herbs from the Riverside Market Garden, an organisation that was promoting its vegetable box scheme at the event.

Nicola Lewis explained the 'reach4food directory', an initiative of the rural development programme in Bridgend, which is primarily aimed at cafes and the hospitality industry and lists local food producers and details about their produce.

With Children’s Activities, plus loud artillery bangs from the civil war re-enactment in the next field, and a wonderful atmosphere throughout the day, this was a very successful launch for Slow Food South East Wales. I’ll keep you posted as we plan our first projects, activities and other events.

Previous posts on Slow Food:
Welsh products in the Ark of Taste
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/welsh-products-in-ark-of-taste.html

Starting Slow Food South East Wales

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/slow-food-south-east-wales-launches.html

 See also:

The pork at St Fagans
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/from-farm-to-fork-pork-at-st-fagans.html

Let’s Eat Insects: The Pestaurant visits Cardiff

This week (Wedn 3 June), the pop-up ‘Pestaurant’ arrived in Cardiff for the first time. Many insects were eaten by the curious shoppers on Queen Street, who learnt a bit about the benefits of entomophagy.

In a previous post (link below), I summarised some information on the widespread consumption of insects around the world, such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation data that shows over 2 billion people worldwide supplementing their diet with insects. It is only a novelty to eat insects in countries like the UK.

There are many benefits to consuming insects as a source of cheap protein (e.g. high protein content, low calorie food), particularly in terms of environmental impacts. For example, cattle require twelve times more feed to produce the same amount of protein as crickets, and they need way more water: 150g of beef needs 3,250 litre compared to about a pint for that amount of insect protein.

The pop-up Pestuarant is an initiative of Rentokil (“The Experts in Pest Control”). Their first Pestuarant sprang up in August 2013 in London, serving pigeon burgers as well as edible insects, such as curried crickets. They have popped-up in many places since. Cardiff’s Pestuarant was part of Rentokil’s ‘Global Pestaurant Day 2015', with around a dozen Pestuarants popping-up across the world.

Special guest at the Cardiff Pestaurant was Andrew Holcroft, founder and head chef of Grub Kitchen (“Eat insects – feed the world”). He is on a mission to promote insects as a sustainable foodstuff and to put insects on the menu in the UK. The Grub Kitchen will be opening later this year, just outside St David’s in Pembrokeshire, where it will be offering a full menu of insect dishes.

On Queen Street, Andrew served up ‘Cumin toasted crickets with wild garlic hummus’ canapes, which once you got past the initial hesitation were very good. I went back for more (photo below).

His other speciality on the day was ‘Cricket, Nutella and peanut butter cookies’. This protein-enriched cookie (5-10g protein) is made by replacing a proportion of the flour in the mix with ground cricket powder. The photo above is of Andrew serving up his cookies.

In the Grub Kitchen, Andrew is experimenting, and coming up with new edible insect dishes. So far, his signature dishes include Bug Burgers, Sago Worm Pad Thai Curry, and Cricket Kofta Kebabs. He says he is even thinking of doing a bit of insect molecular gastronomy. You never know, it could become a top foodie destination!

Andrew has to source human food grade insects from abroad, but he says he will be looking to get the proper certification to rear his own insects for the Grub Kitchen. His kitchen operates on ‘Dr Beynon's Bug Farm’, a science education and insect research centre.

Rentokil supplied a range of home-made snacks and novelty edible insect products sourced from the USA. ‘Salt & vinegar crickets’ were one of the better offerings, as the flavour enhanced a slight ‘prawny’ aftertaste (reminding you that this is not that far removed from eating crustaceans). The locusts and crickets worked reasonably well with Mexican spice and curry flavours, though I didn't rate the mealworms in any combination. Some of this would make great novelty party snack food. The plain roasted locusts and crickets were a bit bland.

Chocolate-dipped bugs, and scorpion lollipops and brittle, were at the far end of the insect as novelty food market, and were given away with Rentokil “I survived the Pestaurant challenge” badges. A little at odds with the Grub Kitchen’s promotion of edible insects as a serious food option, but it meant there was something here for everybody. Nearly everyone I saw had no problem tucking into the edible insects. I think that is a big change from the reaction such a stall would have received even a decade ago.

Introduction to eating insects:
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/lets-eat-insects-introduction.html

Rentokil Pestaurant page:
http://www.rentokil.co.uk/pestaurant/

Dr Benyon’s Bug Farm:
http://www.drbeynonsbugfarm.com/

Grub Kitchen – coming soon!
http://www.grubkitchen.co.uk/