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Keep in touch with the Food Alliance Blog - sign up here Follow on Instagram here, Facebook here Here's where you can see what's happening for good local food in Herefordshire. From local food events, through farming to food waste - we use the Sustainable Food Places topics so you can see the things you're interested in at a glance. Click on each one for more information or scroll down the most recent. Contact us to tell us what's going on in your part of the County and sign the food charter to add your voice! |
We recently announced our first date in the diary for our Feasts on the Farm project at Lower Blakemere Farm - exploring all things worms and composting, with HFA Feasts on the Farm to be serving up a delicious soup freshly made from local ingredients too!
Unfortuantely, due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, this event will now be postponed. We thank you for your interest, and will let you know as soon as we have more Feasts on the Farm dates to share.
I’ve been reflecting on last year’s harvest as I sit in my vegetable plot planning planting season. I thought now was a great moment to remind ourselves of all the great events across the county that brought people together around picking, and gleaning fruit and vegetables and learning new skills in processing.
...In good local food in Herefordshire right now?
If you're reading this, you're either interested in or working towards good local food in Herefordshire. Please help us build a brilliant picture of all that's going on so that we can celebrate it, support it and do more of it!
It will take a very small amount of time and we're happy to receive your thoughts in any way - a quick note+ contact details, a document you already have, or a link.
Here's the form! You may see it below or click the link.
St Martin's Food Share in Hereford have a job going - please be in touch with them if this is something for you!
"St Martin’s FoodShare are delighted to receive central government funding to grow how we can help people. Over the next 6 months we will be working to increase the number of volunteers on our team, particularly in the areas of advice, support and signposting.
To help us deliver this program as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund we are looking to recruit a part time (13 hr/week) Capacity Builder (job share potential) for six months to drive the delivery of this project.
For more information and an application form please message us, email
A bit more info here:
Would you like to work with the Food Alliance to make the changes we need in our food system happen?
We are an alliance of hundreds, a steering team of thirty and a paid team of three very part-timers - for our capacity, we have quite a big reach!
We have plans across seven different topic areas in Herefordshire, and a huge number of partnerships to make and maintain - in order to make the shifts in our food system that we all so badly need.
We have volunteering roles across the county, and currently also have paid opportunities for freelance workers who have the skills, experience and passion needed to get some of our plans actioned!
Do you have a passion for the environment, your local community or food?
If the answer is yes, or you’re just curious to find out more, why not Join our volunteer team and help us to make sure that healthy, sustainable produce is not going to waste.
The Alliance is gleaning, gathering, processing and cooking throughout Herefordshire, bridging the gap between food surplus and communities.
We have opportunities to participate in projects in Bromyard, Colwall, Hereford, Ledbury, Leominster and beyond, and are looking for volunters to carry out the following roles. Keep looking here as the dates are confirmed and please get in touch if you know of surplus!
https://herefordshirefoodcharter.org.uk/blog/picking-and-processing-project-2024
Members of the Alliance steering team had a real treat last Friday to meet in person, reflect and plan. And eat!
Not a single picture was taken - sorry, we were too busy chatting! But plenty got done and some draft plans were made.
Please join us in this last bit - have a look at where we got to and let us know what you think about priorities for the next year - 2024 into 2025.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uoZmSckXh34_yPsnc4_GdR4MdwjDzKUdY-lhznbeUKE/edit?usp=sharing
The Living Room Hereford - a hub for the whole community including people experiencing homelessness, a community larder and now an award-winning cafe (!) is looking for a community facilitator.
"We are currently seeking a new member of our team to be the welcoming face of our Community Hub.
As a new charity that has expanded quickly in difficult times, we want to ensure we continue to build as an asset based community organisation.
The Community Hub Facilitator will be responsible for triaging people who contact us for support and referring them in house or externally, depending on their needs.
Herefordshire Food Alliance has written to all General Election candidates in Herefordshire to share the brilliant work that has already been achieved by this vibrant alliance, show the evidence for policy that supports partnerships across the UK and ask them what they'll be doing in the next Government to make it happen! The full letter is below, with any responses we recieve.
Have a look at Sustain's 'Manifesto Tracker' - exploring "political party commitments on food and farming" and evaluates how these pledges align with the Sustain Manifesto 2024, with assessments provided by specialists in various themes such as farming, climate and public health.
... And a blog series - "If I were a Food Minister" from the group behind the Food Conversation. It crops up again and again in conversations - what would YOU do if you were a Food Minister...?
Our questions to candidates, and any replies received, are below.
Dear General Election Candidates for Herefordshire!
I am writing to you on behalf of Herefordshire Food Alliance. We are a network of groups, organisations and individuals working towards a thriving and sustainable local food economy – for healthy lives, communities and environment. We’re linked to Sustainable Food Places nationally and proud to say that Herefordshire as a county holds a Bronze Award.
The Herefordshire Healthy Schools Programme is being launched later this month ready for schools to start in September.
The programme provides a template for teaching, planning, tracking and monitoring the health and wellbeing of children and young people in primary and secondary schools.
The programme aims to help support and celebrate the good work in schools around the following four themes:
- Emotional health and wellbeing
- Physical activity
- Healthy food, drink and oral health
- Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education (schools only)
The programme includes a free accreditation scheme where schools can be awarded Healthy Schools Status after demonstrating that they can meet
criteria set out in the above four themes.
We will be at Hellens Garden Festival in June, doing all sorts of things!
We'll be signposting to all the great vendors who have sourced local river-friendly food for the event, and telling the story of where it comes from.
Well be chairing the farming panel, and we'll be enjoying the food waste panel too, with Alliance steering team members on both!
More of what's on here: https://hellensgardenfestival.co.uk/whats-on/
Can you take a half hour to make a comment on the Draft Local Plan?
The Local Plan for an area guides all decisions about planning and land development. It has to be pulled together with evidence, and by consulting with residents and groups. Currently, Herefordshire's draft Local Plan is being consulted on.
The Food Alliance has looked at Herefordshire's Local Plan, against what we have agreed we are working towards in Herefordshire.
As you know - we are a broad network of groups, organisations and individuals working towards a sustainable local food economy for healthy lives, communities and environment.
Spar Community Cashback Scheme:
SPAR Community Cashback is back! 
Want to help a local community organisation in need? Nominate them for our Community Cashback Scheme and they could receive up to £10,000 in funding!
For more detail and to apply online visit www.spar.co.uk/community-cashback. Full T&C's apply.
Love Food Hate Waste
’s annual campaign Food Waste Action Week is back.
This year - it's ‘choose what you’ll use’ by buying your fruit and vegetables loose instead of packaged. Research from Love Food Hate Waste has shown that we could reduce food waste by 60,000 tonnes just by buying loose fruit and veg!
And we could go one better here in Herefordshire - let's buy it unpackaged and from local river-friendly farms!
With food waste costing £1,000 for an average household of four every year, Food Waste Action Week aims to help shoppers save money and waste less by shopping for loose produce.
Hereford Food Bank have been an active and supportive member of the Food Alliance since our start.
Here's a bit more about them, what they're up to right now, and how you can help.
In 2023 they provided nearly 100,000 meals. Much of this is in 7-day food packs, incorporating a range of food.
They have recently started using the 'Bank the Food' app which has really helped the issues of having mountains of one thing, and not enough of another. They would absolutely recommend it to others!
The composting website Wiggly Wigglers have a Farm Tour in Herefordshire...
"Welcome to Wiggly Wigglers Farm Tours!
Join Farmer Phil on an inspiring journey through our sustainable and regenerative farm practices. Each tour lasts approximately 1.5 hours.
Our Farm Tour Includes:
Guided Walk with Farmer Phil
- Explore Our Regenerative Journey: Dive into our transition towards sustainable farming and our aim for Net Carbon Zero by 2030.
- Soil Composition Insights: Learn about the importance of soil health for our ecosystem and the environment.
The Wildlife Trust in Herefordshire has a new group in Leominster and there are loads of food links to be made... Join them for thier launch!
"Join us to celebrate the launch of a new Herefordshire Wildlife Trust branch in Leominster for the residents of Leominster and the surrounding areas.
Monday 29 January 2024, 7pm
We've pulled together all the various brilliant activities as part of the Autumn's Picking and Preserving activities.
A huge thank you for what we've achieved!
Whether that be... picking apples, making juice, chopping apples, providing bottles, crates, space to store fruit, a supportive producer with excess who doesn't want to see it going to waste, entertaining with music at an event or being one of the amazing community groups, food banks or community larders we have supported.
We're SO PROUD of this! So many people are working towards joined up, good value, nature-friendly food in Herefordshire and this shows how worthwhile that hard work has been!
The County of Herefordshire is a BRONZE Sustainable Food Place!
Over 85 diners enjoyed a 3 course meal at The Bookshop Hereford in the last of three “100% Herefordshire” Autumn Feasts on Tuesday 14 November.
As well as great local food they were treated to a surprise announcement that the County has achieved a Bronze award from Sustainable Food Places - recognising the collaboration and hard work that’s gone into all areas of the food system in Herefordshire, from food banks through community gardens to restaurants and farming.
In the week King Charles launched an initiative linking food waste and food poverty, it feels like a good time to remind ourselves what is going on in our county linking - tackling - those two things.
As well as the recent gleaning project making good use of surplus crops, there are initiatives to share surplus across a number of community larder / food projects. Check out info here of how to share your surplus.
Coming up:
There are low cost lunches using surplus in three locations in Hereford - details here
Leominster Food Share every Wednesday
The Zero Waste Stall in Ross
We have a growing map here where you can see surplus and community food projects near you (it's the same map where you can find out local food to purchase, there are different layers)
"Come along to our friendly Lunch Clubs and cook together a delicious and hearty lunch which we'll sit down and eat together after we've prepared it.
Lunch Clubs are relaxed and fun opportunities to chat and make new friends and share and learn new skills and recipes. No cooking experience necessary! The dishes we cook will depend on surplus and seasonal produce available and will change each week.