Sustain • London Food Link • Events
Past events
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London Food Link Winter Warmer
Thursday 22 November 2018, 6.30-10pm
Our generous hosts, Hiver Beers, will offer you a welcome drink, before you get to hear from some (or stand up as one of) of the capital’s urban food heroes.
You’ll then have chance to chat with other people who grow, make, cook, sell, teach, forage, save, and campaign for good food in London, all over delicious, vegcentric nibbles…and more from the bar, if you choose.
As well as your chance to network with other good food folk, the event helps to raise money for the work of London Food Link.
FEED THE CITY: How can everyone take action and create better urban food systems?
Thursday 29 November 2018, 6.30-8.45pm
How can we get people living in cities excited about food that is good for people, the planet and animals? What can be done to incentivise people in cities to get involved in food projects that seek to do good? How do we connect urban populations with where their food comes from?
We'll explore these urban food issue and showcase examples of exciting food projects, where city life and food that does good go hand in hand. Our keynote speaker is Pam Warhurst, founder of Incredible Edible and we'll also hear from some of the participants in the Impact Hub's Feeding the City accelerator programme. After the talks, there will be a free buffet.
The Food Talks series is brought to you by Impact Hub King's Cross in partnership with Food Ethics Council, Organico, Think.Eat.Drink and London Food Link.
Food Talks, FISH IT: How to get people hooked on sustainable fish
Thursday 21 June 2018 (6.30-8.45pm), Impact Hub Kings Cross
How can we play a role in securing the future of our seas, ensure that fishers' livelihoods are protected, and mobilise people to get hooked on sustainable fish? Hear from expert speakers, followed by a Q&A and mingling over a veg-led buffet.
Brought to you by Impact Hub King's Cross in partnership with Food Ethics Council, Organico, Think.Eat.Drink and London Food Link
Real Bread Week
24 February – 4 March 2018, worldwide
The 10th annual celebration of additive-free loaves and people who make them. Buy Real Bread from a local bakery, or learn to make your own. Includes the Bread Ahead celebration and baking competition on 25 February. Read more at realbreadcampaign.org
Food Talks: Grow It
22 March 2018: Impact Hub King’s Cross, York Way, N1
How can we grow food? Who can grow it? Where? For whom? Join LFL, the Food Ethics Council, Impact Hub King’s Cross, Organico and Think.Eat.Drink. to explore how we can create a ‘grow it’ revolution with good food that’s accessible to all.
Hurry: These events always fill up well in advance so book you free place now. Or if you are paid up London Food Link supporter, get in touch to get one of our 10 reserved tickets.
The Big Dig Day
21 April 2018: Community food gardens across London
Volunteer for a day of good work and good food to help local gardens get ready for the growing season. Browse the map to find a garden near you at bigdig.org.uk
Jellied Eel mag Christmas meet-up
What: Celebrate the start of the festive season with the team behind your favourite good food mag, The Jellied Eel.
When: Monday 4 December 2017 (7-11pm)
Where: The Roebuck, SE1
Who: The event is mainly aimed at people who tell good food stories, whether in words or pictures, but eveyone is welcome. Short talks will come from people who work in and write about good food.
Food Talks: Power
What: The fourth and final event in the 2017 Food Talks series asks: Is the future of our food in too few hands?
When: Tuesday 5 December 2017 (6.30-8.45pm)
Where: Impact Hub King’s Cross
Who: The speakers are Sara Roversi (Co-Founder of You Can Group and Future Food Institute), and Geoff Tansey, (independent writer, consultant, author and member of the Food Ethics Council), chaired by Ben Reynolds (Sustain)
Food Talks: MONEY
What: The third event in the 2017 Food Talks series asks: How can we imagine money working better for our food system?
When: Thursday 19 October 2017 (6.30-8.45pm)
Where: Impact Hub King’s Cross
Who: Speakers Rebecca Pritchard (Triodos Bank) and Ben Pugh (Farmdrop), chaired by Dan Crossley (Food Ethics Council)
Urban Food Fortnight
What: Curated by London Food Link, this is the capital's celebration of good food and the people behind it. Around 100 events included hyper-local feasts, foraging walks, preserving workshops, cooking classes, urban herbal cocktail nights and much more.
When: 8-24 September 2017
Where: Londonwide
Who: Everyone with a passion for good food!
More information at www.urbanfoodfortnight.org
See UFF event photos
Food For Good Celebration
What: Join London Food Link and UnLtd at Today Bread for the launch of the new Urban Food Heroes award and the chance to hear a handpicked selection of stories from people who are doing good through food.
When: Wednesday 13 September 2017
Where: Today Bread, E17
Who: Everyone with a passion for good food enterprise
Speakers included
- Organiclea, which provides training in urban growing and a buddy system to support new growers
- Nemi (previously Chaigaram), creating employment and training opportunities for refugees around their chai business
- Today Bread
- Top Boy Bakers
- Luminary Bakery, a non-profit bakery in East London working for the empowerment of women
- Headway East, a charity supporting people affected by brain injury
- Rubies in the Rubble, saving surplus food with their award winning condiments
- Change Please, a project training people who are homeless to be baristas
- UnLtd, The Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs
Read more about the event
Photos from the event
Public Debate: Will Brexit mean better food for Britain?
Friday 28 July, 6-8pm
London Food Link are joining forces with We Are Waterloo for the closing event of the Waterloo Food Festival.
We stand at a cross-roads. Will our leaders create new trade deals that sweep aside sustainability standards, climate change commitments, fair dealing, consumer protection, humane production and investment in international development, bowing to intense pressures to deregulate? Or will the UK choose a better path, towards a healthy, fair, humane and sustainable food and farming system?
Sustain Deputy, Ben Reynolds, will chair the session. joined by speakers from different parts of the food sector they will discuss the potential impact of Brexit, and some of the different scenarios we could face. Join in the debate, explore these issues and have your say. Speakers include:
- Clare Oxborrow – Friends of the Earth
- Ruth Westcott – Sustainable Fish Cities
- Ffinlo Costain – Farmwel
Get Connected for Urban Food Fortnight
Monday 17 July, 3-6pm, The Table Cafe
London Food Link is bringing together the capital’s enterprising food growers and small-batch producers with sustainable chefs to Get Connected for Urban Food Fortnight 2017.
To inspire you, you will hear success stories from enterprising community food growers in London Food Link's Capital Growth network, small-batch food and drink producers, and ethical eateries that have taken part in previous years.
Speakers on the day included Growing Communities' head grower, Sophie Verhagen, PlanZheroes, Sutton Community Farm production manager, Joris Gunawardena, Sustainable Restaurant Association supply chain consultant, Yeshna Mistry UnLtd social entrepreneurship manager, Rebecca Luff.
Our kind host, The Table Cafe will be laying on drinks and nibbles featuring the best of London's local larder.
Food Talks
Thursday 29 June, Impact Hub Kings Cross
The event asked ‘How can we eat and live well in the future?What, how much and with whom we eat affects how we feel.The expert speakers were:
- Joanna Lewis - Strategy and Policy Director, Food for Life - at the Soil Association
- Jane Ogden - Professor in Health Psychology, University of Surrey and author of several books
The Food Talks series is run to stimulate debate and constructive thinking about the issues that surround the world of food. It is brought to you by Impact Hub Kings Cross in partnership with the Food Ethics Council, Organico,Think.Eat.Drink and London Food Link, part of Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming.
Spring Do 2017
What: An evening of nibbling and nattering about good food. Short, inspiring stories from - and a chance to chat with - people who grow, make, forage, cook, save and simply enjoy good food.
When: Tuesday 9 May 2017
Where: St. JOHN Maltby
Who: Speakers included:
- St. JOHN co-founder Trevor Gulliver
- Sutton Community Farm general manager Charlotte Steel
- Mercato Metropolitano community manager Vicki Exall
- Global Generation head chef Nick Wilkinson
- Sustainable Restaurant Association supply chain consultant Yeshna Mistry
- GrowUp CEO and co-founder Kate Hofman
- LFL manager Sarah Williams on the Jellied Eel crowdfunding campaign
Guests also enjoyed veg-focussed, #RealBreadWeek canapes on toast created by St. JOHN Maltby. Surplus raised by the event will go towards funding to secure the future of The Jellied Eel magazine and other London Food Link work.
Local Food Feast
What: Chef Oliver Rowe and his voluntary kitchen brigade served up a four-course, sumptuous, seasonal supper, which showcased some of the capital’s finest growers and small batch producers, raising around £2000 for LFL.
When: Thursday 30 March 2017
Where: Clerkenwell Kitchen
Who: During the evening, guests also enjoyed personal food stories from BBC Food Programme presenter Sheila Dillon.
London Food Link Winter Warmer 2016
What: An evening of nibbling and nattering about good food. Short, inspiring stories from - and a chance to chat with - people who grow, make, forage, cook, save and simply enjoy good food.
When: Wednesday 30 November 2016
Where: Startisans, Covent Garden
Who: Speakers included:
- Saasha Celestial-One, co-founder of OLIO
- Abi Glencross, co-founder of Future Farm Lab and #OurField, New Harvest Research Fellow (grows meat in a lab)
- Carol Lever, director of Free Range Dairy CIC
- Ben O'Brien, founder and CEO of Sourced Market
- Sofia Parente, author of the Good Food For London report
- John Shepherd, MD of Shepherds Markets and our host Startisans
- Simon Shaw, London Food Poverty Campaign
- Nadia Stokes, co-founder of Gourmet Goat, 2016 winner of a BBC Food & Farming Award and an Urban Food Award
- Stephanie Wood, School Food Matters (and London Food Link Chair)
Guests also enjoyed a light, seasonal veggie supper, created by chef and Market Table founder Rachel de Thample.
5x15: The future of urban food
What: A one-off chance to hear leading thinkers present their ideas on the role and future of the food grown, made, cooked and saved in London.
When: Thursday 22 September 2016
Where: Farmopolis, The Jetty, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0FL
Who: Speakers included: Rosie Boycott (Chair of London Food and our host for the night), Kath Dalmeny (Coordinator of food and farming charity Sustain), Henry Dimbleby (Co-founder of Leon and the Sustainable Restaurant Association), Abi Glencross (PhD cellular agriculture researcher and co-founder of Future Farm), Bridget Nicholls (Naturalist, writer ,broadcaster and creator of Pestival, an international festival about ‘the art of being an insect’), Tristram Stuart (founder of Feedback) and Bee Wilson (Food writer and historian).
This event was run by London Food Link as part of Urban Food Fortnight, in partnership with Farmopolis and 5x15.
Get Connected for Urban Food Fortnight
What: An afternoon to start making plans and business connections for Urban Food Fortnight
When: Monday 18 July, 3-5pm
Where: The Culpeper, Commercial Street, London, E1 6LP
Who: London’s enterprising food growers, producers, food waste pioneers, retailers and sustainable chefs
London Food Link is bringing together London’s enterprising food growers and producers with sustainable chefs to Get Connected for Urban Food Fortnight 2016! To inspire you, you will hear success stories from enterprising Capital Growth community food growers, small-batch producers, and ethical eateries that have taken part in previous years.
Grow to Sell: at Borough Market
What: An afternoon to learn about selling what you grow at Borough Market this season
When: Friday 6 May, 2016
Who: People who grow food in London and other small-scale London producers (other than bakery/confection/preserves) interested in selling at Borough, either regularly or as one-off.
Borough Market has new opportunities for local growers to sell their produce and products, either as one-off events, for special occassions, with partners or over the long-term. You'll hear from experienced commercial growers Organiclea's story of selling at various venues; David Matchett from the market will advise exactly what they are looking for and the different ways growers can take part; and Capital Growth will be launching the newest version of our Growing Enterprise Guidelines, which outlines how to grow and sell in the city.
LFL Spring Get Together
LFL gathered at Wahaca on Tuesday 26 April 2016 for an evening of chewing over (and on) good food.
Speakers included:
- Simon Dunn: founder, Craft Food London - planning a London Food School
- Anya Hart Dyke: founder, AsktheQ
- Justin Horne: chef, Tiny Leaf
- David Matchett: Market Development Manager, Borough Market
- Oliver Rowe: chef and author, Food For All Seasons
- Carolina Stupino: Tastes of Carolina - planning a London Cafe Takeover initiative
- Stephanie Wood: founder and director, School Food Matters founder (and LFL chair)
London Food Link: London Food Link brings together community food enterprises and projects that are working to make good food accessible to everyone in London to help create a healthy, sustainable and ethical food system for all.
