Festival organisers expect around 10,000 people to attend the free event at Harper Adams University on Saturday 4th May, with the forecast set to be sunny. Celebrating the single biggest manufacturing sector – food – the day promises plenty of interactive fun.
The British Ecological Society and Royal Entomological Society are joining forces to present a range of talks and activities to introduce the public to the role of ecology in providing a sustainable future for food. Dr Chris Jeffs and Chef Chris Burt will be cooking up a range of dishes packed with edible insects, allowing the audience to learn why insects could be the sustainable food solution we need. As well as learning how glow in the dark insects help protect crops from pests and revealing an underground bumblebee hive, visitors will also be able to play ‘wheel of farming misfortune’ to understand the challenges, such as flooding, pests and drought, that farmers face.
Head to the Regional Food Academy for ‘The Alternative Milky Way’ taking visitors through the journey of food and developments of milk and sugar alternatives. And discover ‘The Truth About Food’ with a series of expert-led presentations on everything from palm oil to coffee.
Children can also enjoy a soft play area, go karting, archery, nerf wars, teddy bear operating, a range of tractors and meet the farm animals. Not to be tried at home, they will also be encouraged to colour in a brand-new Volvo!
To promote technology and engineering innovations, there will be a robot making workshop, pet x-rays, drone flying, the sawmill machine in action, and Harper Adams’ “Hands Free Hectare.”
There will be lots of delicious food stalls and street food on offer. For an extra treat, head for the dessert club for five delicious puddings. There will also be live music throughout the day, from the Harper University Music Society, Chasing August, Bouncing Betty, Dirty Rockin’ Scoundrels, The Endings and Two Blank Pages.
The festival organisers are working with the Government-funded National Collaborative Outreach Programme “Higher Horizons Plus” to bring 900 children to the campus the day before the festival for engaging, hands-on activities to bring education on farming and food production to a wider audience.
The Field to Fork festival will be taking place from 10am – 5pm on the 4th May 2019 at Harper Adams University in Newport, Shropshire. Register for free tickets at www.fieldtoforkfestival.com
