Submitted by Peter Lumb on Wed, 2019-12-18 17:14
In November, the University of Cambridge Catering Managers’ Committee hosted a unique sustainable food event at St John’s College for College Fellows and those involved in catering. The event was designed to get Colleges talking about sustainable food and encourage those responsible for catering in Colleges to think differently about what food they provide.
The Catering Managers’ Committee wanted to raise awareness of sustainable food, including the award-winning work that the University Catering Service has accomplished so far. Many Colleges are already taking action on sustainable food, however getting all areas of every College on board can be a challenge. As a first step, the Sustainability sub-group of the Catering Managers’ Committee decided to bring catering professionals and Fellows together over a vegan dinner held in one of Cambridge’s Colleges.
The event opened with three very inspiring but sobering speeches from Dame Polly Courtice, Director of the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, Professor Andrew Balmford, a Professor of Conservation Science, and Dr Chris Sandbrook, a political ecologist. They covered a range of topics, from carbon emissions from ruminant meat, to plastics and the effects of climate change. They also spoke about what the University Catering Service has already achieved, and the positive impact that the University as a whole could have if the Colleges were to follow a similar approach. Some interesting questions were raised after the speeches and it was great to see everyone learn so much from the event.
Guests then enjoyed a short drinks reception in the Old Music Room at St John’s followed by the Michelin-starred main event in the Wordsworth Room. Academics, catering professionals, Fellows, sustainability leaders and chefs all enjoyed a vegan four-course dinner which was curated, cooked and introduced by chef Andreas Antona and his head chef Luke Tipping from Michelin-starred Simpson’s restaurant. The contrast of sitting in one of Cambridge’s oldest Colleges in a room decorated with portraits and candles, with discussing climate change, an unprecedented and inevitable change in our ecosystem, was not lost on the guests. Enjoying modern, vegan food made by a chef who has been awarded for his work, demonstrated that vegan food doesn’t have to be boring to make or to taste, an understanding which is vital as we make changes to our everyday lives to ensure a sustainable future.
What one thing did attendees say they would take away from the event?
‘To do more’
‘We can do better!’
‘Things are changing!’
‘We all have to work hard at creating sustainable environments at our Colleges’
‘That a relatively small change (e.g. removal of or reduction of ruminant meat) can have a disproportionately green impact.’
Written by Sophie Satchell