Galloway gets Slow Food Group

There are plenty of people passionate about food in Dumfries & Galloway, which is why Graeme Hume ex Co-ordinator of Savour the Flavours organised an open meeting in Kirkcudbright to look at interest in starting a Galloway Slow Food group. What does slow food mean? Honest food, locally produced, simply prepared and passionately consumed.

The inaugural meeting of Galloway Slow Food took on the 11th September at Kirkpatrick’s Restaurant in Kirkcudbright, and organised by Graeme Hume, formerly the co-ordinator of Savour the Flavours.

The key question discussed by the 29 people attending was ‘What is Slow Food?’. The Slow Food movement was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life and is now a world network committed to changing the way food is currently produced and consumed.

The people who attended were all passionate about food, and were able to sample some tasty treats, enjoying canapés from local foods and talking about what Slow Food means to the people of Dumfries & Galloway. Graeme gave a short presentation outlining what Slow Food groups do in other regions of Scotland and this stimulated discussion.

Graeme was delighted with the high numbers of people keen to take part in a Slow Food group. He said: “With the increasing awareness of the origins of food and growth in producers markets in the region it was felt that the time was right to establish a Slow Food Convivium in Galloway.

“A number of suggestions were put forward for how this could work and these included campaigning to educate about the benefits of consuming good, fair and clean food or a dining club meeting at selected restaurants to enjoy local and regional food. Other ideas were a web site database for the public and trade to source local foods to connect producers and consumers and assist with the distribution problems that so many encounter in Dumfries & Galloway and a group trip in 2008 to Turin – the home of Slow Food.

“The passion and interest in food was very reassuring. Many opportunities were highlighted, one being visits to producers – to help people engage with and understand traditional production and manufacturing methods. While one member, Ben Weatherall, was so passionate about the movement that he had just organised a Slow Food ‘picnic’ roasting 5 year old mutton and lamb.”

The lively discussion concluded that a further meeting will be held in about 6 weeks at a different restaurant. Anyone interested in hosting the event please contact Graeme Hume on 01557 814648 or email graemehume@btinternet.com