Good reads
‘Our Big Lunch unites the community’ Jane Marsden (above right) shares a plot with her best friend, Heather (above left), on the Gilroy Road Community Allotments in West Kirby, on the Wirral. The site holds an annual Big Lunch (thebiglunch.com), which is part of the Eden Project’s nationwide campaign. ‘Our site was set up four years ago by our chairman, Richard Hill, a local police inspector, as the council’s waiting list was so long. We built 64 allotments on a disused horse paddock, which had to be cleared of 12ft brambles. Now it is shared by local groups, including schools, and a project that employs adults with learning diffculties.’ What is the Big Lunch? It’s our biggest gathering of the year, and has grown from a small event with a ‘bring and share’ table to a gathering of well over 100 plot-holders, neighbours, police, youth workers and many others. We lay out lots of food, including very locally grown salads and
We’re growing
together As well as being a source of fruit, veg and herbs, allotments and community gardens can provide an escape from the busy world. We meet people who have created their own food lovers’ haven Feature HOLLY BROOKE-SMITH
May 2015
bbcgoodfood.com
fruity puds. It’s amazing what you can do with a courgette glut! How does it work? It’s perfect for having fun with your neighbours and helping to build stronger neighbourhoods. We also run a community café at the farmers’ market – and this extra income means we can buy gazebos, tablecloths and even aprons with slogans on. All the other food and offerings come from our visitors, which includes plenty of produce from the plots. What are you planning next? We’d like to build a community classroom – possibly from straw bales – and hold ‘plot-to-plate’ sessions for schools, local groups and residents.
‘We cook curries in the allotment shed’ Ben Locker (below right) has an allotment in Colchester, Essex, where he runs a regular curry club. ‘My friend Darius and I both got our frst allotments last year. We’re learning as we go along, but it’s going well.’ What is a curry club? I got the idea from a TV show I saw years ago about some Sikh friends who made curry in their allotment shed. I thought it was a wonderful idea. So we got some friends together for the frst time on New Year’s Eve, and it was such fun that we decided to make it a regular event. What happens? We take it in turns to cook on the gas stove in my shed, and invite friends from our community to come along. Why do you love it? It’s great to share our food, introduce the children to freshly grown ingredients, catch up with friends and have a few drinks. We’re hoping to grow more of the curry ingredients over the coming year, so that the food really does have the true favour of our allotments.
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