We all have food memories, both good and bad. The smell and taste of food can transport us back in time and trigger feelings and emotions as well as reminding us of places or settings.
One of my early memories is of breakfast picnics on the beach. As a child my family would take holidays in Cornwall and my parents would drive through the night to avoid the traffic. We'd arrive at sunrise and head to Gunwalloe or Praa Sands (pronounced pray sands) and have something to eat and drink while listening to the waves and sitting on the sand. I may not remember what we ate but I remember the feelings of arrivng early and having the beach to ourselves and the sound of the waves on the shoreline. Many of my favourite memories are of meals out to quirky cafes or restaurants, searching out local or artisan produce at shops or markets and of baking and cooking for family and friends.
Food was an important part of early green care and care farming practices and green care, as we would recognise it today, began in Medieval Europe. Restorative Monastic gardens were designed to support and care for the sick and infirm and passing pilgrims. These gardens offered a chance for people, including the monks, to spend time in nature while carrying out meaningful work such as growing fruit and vegetables and tending to the livestock. The gardens physically fed the patients and the monks, while also nurturing the body, mind and spirit.
Food continued to be intertwined with green care and caring for individuals up until the 1940's but has seen a steady decline since then. During my own care farming research in 2020/21 I noticed that the use of food within the care farming experience was sporadic. Many farmers and owners explained that they either didn't have suitable catering facilities on site or they were concerned about the possible health and safety risks of infections due to poor hand washing after contact with the animals. This put them off introducing activities that included cooking and sharing. Others said they had tried to run activities and fallen foul of local food hygiene regulations.
In 2023, in further research I reflected on care farming and the place of food. Have we moved away from its origins? Should food growing, harvesting, cooking and sharing be part of the experience on farms today?
Over the next few blogs, I'll explore how we might use food within care farming, using food therapeutically, food and mood, food and our sense of place and the practicalities of using food.
Beautiful handmade pizza at OxMoor Farm Buckinghamshire
