A Bioregional Banquet: Cultivating Common Ground for the Future of Food

A Bioregional Banquet: Cultivating common ground for the future of Food

Friday 3rd October, 5pm-10pm 

The Barn at South Milton

We’d like to warmly invite you to the Bioregional Banquet, a unique evening bringing together farmers, food producers and people from across South Devon working to provide food for our community. 

Food is at the heart of culture and life. In the context of our modern food economy, access to good food can be limited to the privileged few. Yet historically, celebrating the abundance of the harvest season was for everyone, across our communities. We want to offer this banquet as a celebration of place, for the people of this land and sea; a gathering to honour our place and the hard work of those who care for it.

At the heart of this gathering is a shared commitment to climate adaptation and resilience. As the ground shifts beneath us - ecologically, socially, and economically - we come together to find new ways forward.  Whether you bring food onto our plates, maintain its vital role in our economy, help to redistribute it, or (like all of us) eat it and enjoy it… your voice matters in shaping a food system that nourishes both people and planet.

This event is inspired by a Sardinian tradition called La Rasgioni, which offered communities a way to share different perspectives over a shared meal. At the Bioregional Banquet, we’ll hear from voices across the South Devon food world - in order to understand each other better, even when we don’t all agree. Through storytelling and conversation, we’ll explore the realities and pressures faced by those who care for our land.

You’ll enjoy a good meal showcasing the breadth of South Devon’s produce, connect with your neighbours, and hear perspectives from others in the region - some familiar, others less so. Together, we’ll consider where we might find common ground and shared purpose, with the help of a community “judge”, a jury selected at random on the night and audience facilitators.

We know the work of producing food is changing as the climate changes. We want to offer some guidance that both responds to food security needs in the light of a changing climate, whilst also creating a food identity for South Devon and making the first step towards organising for joined-up action. We don’t know what will emerge from the event but we are holding the intention of seeing the whole food system, understanding what is not working and identifying where we could take action. 

Why this event?

South Devon is rich in food culture and in the people who bring it to life. But the systems that support them are under stress, from market pressures & policy uncertainty, but especially from climate breakdown. 

The Bioregional Banquet is a space to step back and see the bigger picture:

• What is our shared food identity here in South Devon?

• What’s working? What’s not?

• And where might we act differently, together, in adapting to climate breakdown?

This is about making sense of complexity in community - listening to each other, breaking bread, and beginning to imagine a joined-up, resilient food system. 

Why BLC?

The Bioregional Learning Centre (BLC) works to foster resilience at the scale of the bioregion - in this case, South Devon. For nearly a decade, we’ve been building capacity for democratic decision-making, ecological regeneration, and systems change grounded in place.

This Banquet is a natural next step in our wider mission: using food as an entry point to bioregional democracy - rooted in the needs, knowledge, and networks of the people who live and work here.

This event comes off the back of these many years of action learning, research and community building in South Devon. Most recently, through our Learning Journey in summer 2024 as part of our Local Climate Adaptation work. We have learned how central food is in adapting to a rapidly changing climate, and we want to do something about that. 

What Inspired the Banquet?

• La Rasgioni, a Sardinian tradition of resolving conflict & working on shared community issues through public storytelling over a shared meal. Look at an example of this in practice here.

• A growing call for regional food security, as global systems falter.

• A desire to craft a South Devon food identity, shaped by those who live it every day.

• Years of listening - to farmers, fishers, citizens, councillors, community groups, educators, and entrepreneurs.

What To Expect

• A locally sourced meal that showcases the richness of our land and sea, cooked by The Cellar Door Caterers

• A welcoming, beautiful setting at The Barn in South Milton, with views of the sea at Thurlestone. 

• Stories and perspectives from a diverse group of food producers

• Table conversations guided by facilitators and a symbolic “community judge”

• A chance to connect with neighbours and share your experience of what’s changing - and what’s possible

• This evening is for anyone who feels the impact of a shifting food landscape and wants to be part of shaping what comes next.

Ticket Prices

This event is being funded largely by the Bioregional Learning Centre. We are thus offering highly subsidised tickets on a sliding scale: £15 - £35 - £50. Please pay what you are able to afford, and we welcome additional donations to help cover the costs of this event. This price includes drinks on arrival, table wine and a three-course dinner, as well as all entertainment and activities throughout the evening. We want to make sure this event is accessible to everyone. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds, so if none of these price options work for you, please get in touch with Bridie at bridie.kennerley@bioregion.org.uk 

Our Caterers

The food will be provided by The Cellar Door, working directly with local producers to really showcase the incredible farmers and fisher people of South Devon, including some produce from their own kitchen garden.