Planting Ideas, Harvesting Flavours: Lettuce Talk Agroecology and the Future of Food
Yesterday, I attended the Future Plates Future Chefs event at the University of West London, and it was an eye-opening experience! The theme, Today’s Menu: Agroecological Foods to Celebrate Now, introduced me to the concept of agroecology, which was new to me but deeply insightful.
Freshly Picked Insights: What Chefs and Growers Brought to the Table
Arran Denning (Forest Gardener) explained agroecology on two levels. First, the food materials themselves. Second, the deeper foundation, focusing on our relationship with the land and non-extractive practices.
Joshua Sparkes (Birch Farm) highlighted the role of perennial foods in biodiversity. He explained the differences between annuals, biennials and perennials, where perennials live longer than two years. He emphasised using insects and pollination instead of compost.
Darryl Gadzekpo and Ella Phillips (Electric Future Food) shared their journey into plant-based living, incorporating Caribbean recipes. They engage children with vegetables through games like “Who eats the most carrots?” Ella said “Pretend they are a slug!” That definitely made me laugh. They also encouraged eating raw vegetables to preserve nutrients. Darryl described this transformation as a “snowball effect.”
Diego Alejandro Ricaurte (Palmitos) emphasised the crucial relationship between chefs and growers. He stressed the importance of flexibility in menu planning and networking with suppliers to ensure a sustainable and diverse supply chain. He encouraged chefs to visit farms, saying “Spend one hour one day and see how they grow in the countryside.”
A Feast to Remember: Tasting Experience and Food Demonstrations
A special thank you to:
Arran and Joshua for the perennial tasting. They can act as natural medicine but taste ten times better. Love it.
Denny Jack and Hannah for the grilled oyster mushrooms with miso and soy sauce. An incredible umami-packed dish.
Flora Phillips for her passion for butchery and offal. I tried raw offal with Lacto-fermented chilli, garlic sauce and lavender syrup and actually enjoyed it.
Tim Blake and his team for my first venison tasting. The raw preparation with black garlic and mushrooms was delicious, but the cooked butter onion sauce version was even better.
Jenny Chandler for showcasing the versatility of pulses, from frozen peas to flour, crackers and paste.
Maisie Collins for the wonderful shortbread variations using different grains. I loved the Emmer one as well.
This event deepened my understanding of the dynamic relationship between chefs and growers. It reinforced the importance of adapting menus based on seasonal availability, supporting sustainable crops, and reducing food waste by utilising every part of an ingredient.
A huge thank you to Lexington Catering for the fantastic food and insightful presentations. The gut health fermented products, especially the kimchi were outstanding. A big thank you to Hannah and Jack from No Mise En Plastic for sharing their knowledge on agroecological foods. Check out their website for more insights into the chef-grower relationship:
🔗 Today’s Menu – No Mise En Plastic
Many thanks to Peter Cross, Amalia and Szymon, my tutors, for this opportunity to be part of this event.
Looking forward to applying these principles in my culinary journey.
“Limitations breed creativity.” – Douglas McMaster (Silo)
