Food and Sustainability conference a delicious success

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Our autumn conference, Food and Sustainability: Past, Present and Future, held on Saturday 29th September as part of the York Festival of Food an Drink, proved to be a novel and tasty experience.  The morning session was held in York St John University and featured talks by Peter Brears (workers’ diets in mid-Victorian Yorkshire), Eileen White (providing food for the city and home in the 17th and 18th centuries), Judith Ward (rhubard, rocket and rainbow chard: allotment gardening in changing times) and Alex Hutchinson (the golden age of confectionery in York).  The afternoon session was based in Bedern Hall, where we learned about the Holgate windmill from Helen Hoult and were shown how to make soda bread (using Holgate windmill flour), local cheeses, pickles and chutney by our host, Roger Lee.  Local cider production was demonstrated by Barry Potter and participants were quick to sample the results!  The afternoon ended with a splendid if untraditional Yorkshire tea, made from the ingredients prepared during the session. Many thanks to Aileen Bloomer and Michael Hopkinson for arranging such a delicious treat.

Participants watch Roger Lee and Fiona Hopkinson mix soda bread

Posted on by Margaret Atherden