'Rescued Food' Cafe cooks up a feast

 

A FEAST made entirely from "rescued food" will be cooked up in a city centre venue this weekend (March 17).

 

The idea has come from three Exeter organisations who hope to use the event to raise awareness about the amount of edible food which is wasted.

 

Project worker from one of the groups, Harvest, Andi Tobe said: "All the food we are using has been donated by local organizations and is in-date, edible, tasty delicious produce.

 

"We'll be making a fantastic feast and asking people to pay what they can afford," she added.

 

The Recipe for Change Rescued Food Café is a joint venture between Harvest, Love Local Food and Exeter Active Citizens.  Andi said she felt it was a great way to help people understand the food production process.

 

"Because of the way the supermarket system works, it is inherently wasteful. It involves such large quantities of food being moved around the country.  Buying locally, people are buying into a much smaller local system and also saving on food miles.

 

"At the moment food grown in Devon and Cornwall gets taken to Peterborough or somewhere like that to a packing plant, and then to a distribution depot hundreds of miles away, before returning to a few miles where it was grown and sold as local food!"

 

If the event is a success the groups hope it could be a regular venture.   However Andi said she had been very impressed after visiting Fareshare in Bristol.  The project takes edible food that comes out of the supermarket system and distributes it to organisations that work with vulnerable people.

 

For example one supermarket had supplied the project with several crates of fresh soup where recipes had become mixed during change-over of recipes.  Andi said it is a regular by-product of this kind of high-speed production system.  Although perfectly edible the hybrid soups were destined for landfill, still in their plastic cartons.

 

"Of course' it's important to try and reduce domestic food waste but it's a fraction of what the supermarkets waste.  Most people have no idea. By buying food from a local independent retailer you not only reduce food miles but you're also buying in to a much less wasteful system".

 

The food for the event is being provided be a number of organizations including Linscombe  Farm, Shillingford Organics and Riverford Organic Farms.

 

The event will be the last one organized by Harvest, an Exeter Community Initiatives project, which will cease due to lack of funding at the end of the March.

 

There will be live music from Mysterious Freak Show and entertainment from Hannah Flett winner of Hooping Idol 2012.

 

The pop-up café will be at Southernhay United Reform Church Hall, Dix's Field from 6pm to 9pm on Sunday, March 17.

 

Although the diners will only be asked to make a voluntary donation to cover the cost of the meal, booking is essential due to limited places.

 

To reserve a table Tickets are limited so you'll need to book phone 01392 205800 or email andit@eci.org.uk.