For the first time Engage is offering something completely new during our autumn seminar series this year. Our subject is food sustainability so we had the bright idea of giving three different local producers the opportunity to share the food they produce with each participant at our three seminars.
Our tastings are arranged like a menu – a starter at Seminar One, a main at Seminar Two, and a dessert at Seminar three. So you’ll have to make sure you’re all all three events to get the full experience!
And Engage will, of course, pay for the food samplings directly with the producers, so there will be no charge to our participants – it’s all part of our mission to demonstrate the variety and sustainability of Liverpool’s food culture.
SEMINAR ONE: Starter: Soup from Squash Liverpool
In seminar one—before our keynote from Sheila Dillon, BBC Radio 4 presenter The Food Programme and BBC Food and Farming Awards—we will be enjoying some delicious soup, for which Squash Liverpool in Toxteth have become famous.
Squash has a 100 year vision to transform their neighbourhood into a people-powered place, centred around a hands-on, playful approach to food. They really are an extraordinary community asset, and we’re honoured to be able to introduce them to our residents.
SEMINAR TWO: Mains: Pies from Homebaked
We couldn’t arrange a series of local food tastings without featuring the legendary hand-made pies from Homebaked Anfield. Both Reds and Blues alike agree Homebaked’s gorgeous range of multi-award-winning pies are one of Liverpool’s finest exports.
Homebaked itself is a cooperative, established by local residents in 2012, in a bakery unit that had been serving its community for over 100 years, but was scheduled for compulsory purchase and, likely, demolition. Since then they’ve not only kept millions of football fans fed and watered, but they’ve also re-invested their profits into the local community. Truly inspiring!
SEMINAR THREE: Dessert: Apple Crumble from Food for Thought
Rounding out our three-seminar tasting “meal” is a delicious apple crumble, hand-made by Food for Thought, from windfall apples that otherwise would not be used.
Food for Thought is a non-profit, providing healthy and tasty school meals to over 90 primary, secondary, and SEN schools across the Liverpool City Region. They produce over 3 million school meals every day – but this seminar will be the first time they’ve served on a boat (that we’re aware of!)
Image courtesy of Squash Liverpool who are serving soup at the first food tasting in Seminar One.