Last weekend Gayle and I (and Gayle's parents) ventured down to the Organic food festival at the Harbourside. after getting over the shock of having to pay £3.50 each entry fee (compared to last years free entry!) we had a great time. Making the most of our fee we grazed our way round the stalls with hordes of Bristolians enjoying the organic fayre that was on offer.
I particuarly enjoyed the organic beer (no surprise there) and the cheese and breads they had on offer. The most hilarious stand was a "Freshly Squeezed Water' seller, I am sure they were just selling filtered water but the name made us laugh so much we never got to find out what it really was!
We also enjoyed a demonstration by Sophie Grigson (famous chef type) and the owner of Quartier Vert and the newly opened Bordeaux Quay on how to use stale bread - yes really!
One thing that did occur to me whilst we were browsing was how exclusive this Organic food club is. we could have spent a fortune on food (20p a plum in some cases) and with the £3.50 entry charge, it means this type of event is only open to people with a certain amount of money, if the Soil Association are wanting to encourage us all to eat more healthly and more organically they need to to review how accessible these kind of events are, so it at least it would be open to the masses! Interestingly the cooking demos were sponsored by Sainsbury's, which was quite a surprise to us, but unless we use our consumer power to influence the supermarkets i guess they will never change. I personally think it was a clever piece of marketing by them!
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The whole issue of food has become very political, and yes it's a debate that only the rich can afford to be having. I wince with middle-class shame every time I hear such bald comments as Jamie Oliver's last week, who compared giving fizzy drinks to children with child abuse. How dare he? How dare those of us who are lucky enough to be able to afford organic meat, and who know how to feed a family of four out of 3 root vegetables and a handful of lentils, how dare we bring our judgement and values to bear upon those struggling to cope on benefits, in poor accomodation etc etc? There is a massive cultural divide over food in this country, and unless those of us with big gobs and big wallets seek to influence the power of the big supermarkets then the sort of health inequalities that have been rife in the UK since forever will not change. Healthy eating needs to be cheap, easy and accessible to all. Gone are the days when the independant high street retailer supplied most needs. the supermarkets now have to address the 'food deserts' they have created, whilst purchasing and promoting food responsibly. There. I vacate the soapbox.
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