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SLOW FOOD UK:
the national Slow Food association

Slow Food believes in diversity and locality in food and drink ('terroir' is a French word but the concept is universally applicable) - and this belief is reflected in the way the Slow Food movement itself operates.

SLOW FOOD UK is the national association, part of the international Slow Food movement.

The Slow Food UK national office opened in December 2006 in Ludlow, Shropshire. It is headed by Fiona Richmond, UK co-ordinator. Contact details.

Slow Food UK's purpose is to assist and co-ordinate the local activities of the convivia, as well as the UK Ark of Taste, educational activities, etc, and to provide administrative and office support from the national office, as well as being the development and focal point for Slow Food's UK activities.

A vital part of Slow Food UK's activity is to provide a natural conduit for communications between the international headquarters of Slow Food in Italy, and the UK membership - and to publicly represent the movement.

LOCALLY - The local Slow Food group, or convivium, is at the heart of Slow Food - in the UK as well as in many other countries.

Each convivium has its own particular characteristics, which depend partly on the area covered - but its leader and committee are democratically elected by the members, so the activities reflect the members' interests, and the nature of the particular location. And, since we are all volunteers doing things in our spare time, every convivium is different!

There are around 50 convivia spread throughout the UK, and the number is growing fast. See our contact page for an up-to-date list.

If there's no convivium near you, why not consider forming one? The Slow Food UK office will be happy to give advice and help.

A TYPICAL CONVIVIUM might do some or all of the following things:

Events, such as meals with a special theme, tastings, visits to places such as vineyards, farms and special markets, taste workshops, talks and demonstrations. "As well as enjoying ourselves, we learn a lot. We also have stands at various local food-related events to provide information about the Slow Food movement. Information about past and future events is circulated to members via an e-mailed newsletter."

Local food and drink products - threatened or otherwise: Most parts of the UK still contain many independent food and drink producers and suppliers who are passionately committed to quality - good, clean and fair food. The vast majority of these are small firms - sometimes one-man bands - whose products have not suffered from the industrialisation and homogenisation that has affected so many 'traditional' food and drink products, not just in Britain but throughout the world. Our aim is to identify and help the survival of these producers of food and drink that is not only not messed about with, but also tastes better! About the Ark and Presidia

Education: Locally, many convivia are developing links with schools, sometimes in conjunction with others, to encourage development of school gardens (with the produce being used for school dinners), or to encourage the use of local produce, cooked on the premises - to reduce food miles and to provide a tastier and healthier alternative to industrially-produced and reheated meals.

Eating places and food shops: Some convivia produce information on recommended (suitably 'Slow') restaurants, pubs and food shops - both for general information for visitors and locals, and hopefully as a way of maintaining and improving standards.

List of UK convivia
 

Convivial Slow Food dinner

Members of the board of Slow Food UK (and a few others) on a visit to Ludlow, meeting Peter Cook, the baker. Peter baked a special gingerbread snail to mark the event.

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Page updated 2/7/08