What if everyone in our community had access to great food and someone to eat it with?

This is the question that has been an inspiration for Tom Herbert, who has been leading the community food initiative The Long Table, based in Brimscombe Port. He explored this question in a conversation with Jenny Bowers, who is on the steering group of NailsworthCAN. There were about 50 people on the zoom event, with lots of interesting questions raised.

This is the first in a series of ‘In Conversation With …’ events that NailsworthCAN will be hosting on zoom, and making available as a recording here:

Tom took us on a personal journey that took him from his time at Hobbs House Bakery to cooking for refugees in Calais, and then working at the Grace Network; then finally to the idea of setting up a social enterprise. 

Tom reflected on the broken food system - the waste that occurs in our heavily industrialised food system; the over processed nature of much of our food; the exploitation that exists in many forms. 

This is not sustainable, either for people or the planet.

Tom’s vision was to enable people from all walks of life to sit at a long table, eating food freshly prepared, with locally sourced seasonal ingredients, and cooked and served by young people given employment opportunities. The ‘Teenage Kitchen’ and ‘Recovery Kitchen’ are key to the vision - allowing young apprentices to develop skills and find fulfilling employment.

This is a social enterprise that aims to pay its way, pay wages, and supports the community whilst finding hopeful ways for us to ‘do food’.

Then Covid-19 struck, and this created a need to adapt. It also created an opportunity to grow the enterprise very fast in an unexpected way, to help those most in need. Thus was born the ‘Freezers of Love’ where food prepared by The Long Table would be distributed in freezers all around the county - in hospitals, community centres, etc. - so anyone could enjoy great meals.

There may be a perception that the venture is concerned with food poverty - to give food away for free to those in desperate need. The bigger vision is actually food equality, the same great food for everyone. So everyone is encouraged to come together. Those who are able contribute what they can to help fund the operation.

During the first lockdown, The Long Table with much help form other kitchens prepared and delivered over 47,000 meals.

Tom told a story of two Freezers of Love - one in Gloucester Royal Hospital and another in a centre catering for the homeless. A senior consultant at the hospital wrote to Tom thanking the team for making the food; and bring people together. Whatever a person’s situation, the philosophy of proverbially breaking bread together is central to Tom’s vision. Today, actual physical contact is limited, but that will pass, sooner or later.

The operation has evolved so fast that the team has had to find creative solutions to many challenges, and new ideas are bubbling away on how to be even bigger and bolder with the vision. Some destinations now have ‘sister kitchens’ and other hubs are likely to emerge. There are also some community groups offering veg and other produce, so a ‘Veg Table’ idea has emerged, where growers can exchange surpluses with The Long Table. 

There is an opportunity to inspire local community food growing groups to work with The Long Table. How great would it be if a community group could grow the produce that is then used in meals consumed by that community? A perfect circle.

Another idea in the pipeline is the teaming up of a cycling group - Stroud Bike Drop CIC to offer food delivery by bike for anyone who cannot make it to a freezer of love. This connects low carbon food with low carbon transport - we need many more ideas like this that connect the dots. These ideas emerge spontaneously just by networking and connecting people with different interests and ideas.

None of the elements of what is being done at the long table is new: food as a social enterprise, subscription model, community fridges, etc. - but the way these have been brought together does seem to be novel and exciting. 

Tom is not interested in trying to fix the current broken system, because he wants to build a new system from the bottom up, where great fresh food is available to everyone, locally sourced, prepared and shared.  Food from the community, for the community.

In a time when there is so much in the world that seems to drive people apart, this is an inspiring vision of how to bring people together, and there can be no better way than through food.

There are 3 ways in which you can help support this great initiative:

  1. Become of Friend of The Long Table for just £5 per week (go to the website to ‘join the revolution’)

  2. Get great meals from a Freezer of Love near you and contribute what you can.

  3. Tell people about the The Long Table - spread the word.

People who attended the conversation were blown away by the creativity, openness, inclusiveness and heart of Tom’s vision.

We hope you are too.

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