You can rest assured that the kids will be kept well entertained over the nine days of Food Connections: we’ve got plenty of educational events, cooking classes and fun and games. If, like us, you believe that kids are never too young to be introduced to the joys of good food and learn about where it comes from, then you’ll love the events we have planned - most of which are completely free! Here are some highlights, but for the full programme please head here.
City Centre
On 1st May Bristol’s First International Peace Café will pop up and provide a relaxed space to talk and hear stories from people of the 91 language communities of Bristol. The pop-up café will showcase the incredible flavours of Syria, Sudan, Russia and Iran among others, with talks, music and fun for visitors of all ages. Tickets are £5-10 and include lunch.
And a free event for kids aged 8-12: join us at the Travelling Kitchen as we embark on a culinary historical journey from Tudor times, right through to the Twentieth Century. We’ll explore how Bristol’s trading history, and more recently how immigration to Bristol influenced the foods our ancestors ate and the food we eat today. Along the way children will learn bread making and pastry making techniques and basic knife skills.
Bee the Change’ workshop on sustainable beekeeping, will demonstrate how to best steward honeybees. Heather and Tim have just returned from Poland, where they learnt the ancient art of tree beekeeping, and will explain how this can be achieved here in the UK. Come and join us for a completely free event!
And Jo Ingleby, winner of the BBC Food and Farming Awards Cook of the Year 2015, is coming to Food Connections for Cooking with Kids! For this free event, Jo will be using seasonal produce in recipes which encourage children aged 2-4 to do most of the work. Jo says: “Start cooking as young as possible and start with vegetables, not cakes!”
Fringe Festival
Community farmer day is a one-day free event with volunteers coming to help in the fields. People of all ages are welcome. In the morning Earthwise be running additional activities for families with young children (under-fives but older siblings welcome) where they’ll get hands-on harvesting, planting and cooking.
And don’t miss the Morrison’s Family Cook-off with two of Bristol’s top chefs. Bristol heroes Freddie Bird of The Lido, and Romy Gill of Romy’s Kitchen will join City of Bristol Students in preparing and cooking simple dishes for the local community to taste. It’s free!
Plus, come along to Dig and Dine with Fresh Range for an enjoyable morning of getting your hands dirty. You’ll sow seeds, learn about fruits and vegetables, and the art of cooking great food suitable for children aged 5 – 11. Held at St Wergbergh’s beautiful Boiling Wells site, with gardener Darren McLane and chef Glyn Owen – two people bonkers about growing and cooking!
See our full programme of events here.