Our guide to the Food for the Planet Festival in Cambridge - including all the events, offers and discounts

A week-long celebration of food that is good for us, the planet and our future begins on Saturday (October 15).

The Food for the Planet Festival is organised by Cambridge Sustainable Food partnership (CSF) and features more than 30 events, running until Wednesday, October 22.

Focused on climate action on a plate, it asks everyone to consider what is on their plate and what they can do to make a difference.

Individuals are invited to make a pledge through the Climate Charter developed by Cambridge Carbon Footprint and Cambridge City Council.

Community growing events, film screenings, apple pressing, a green Pecha Kucha, cookery workshops, stalls, Disco Soup and more are lined up, and there will be climate-friendly specials and discounts from local food businesses.

You can learn how to ferment vegetables at The Meadows fermentation workshop, enjoy a tasting day at Daily Bread Co-operative or chop, dance and eat to the beet with CSF at Disco Soup.

Sam Dyer, CEO of Cambridge Sustainable Food CIC, said: “The food system causes a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and is the number one driver of biodiversity loss.

“We invite residents, local businesses, schools, charities, community groups and organisations to take collective action and make simple changes to the food that we put on our plates. Together we can create real change and play our part in tackling climate change.”

Most of the events take place in-person, although there are some virtual events, such as CSF's Climetti Spaghetti cook-a-long, which takes place on Zoom.

Look out for climate menu specials at a number of local eateries, including Cambridge Independent columnist Maurizio Dining & Co, Thrive, Maison Clement, Fin Boys and Cambscuisine's country pubs. Many of them will be offering discounts during the festival week.

A Healthy Soil-Healthy Food event incudes short films and discussions featuring farmers and growers from Cambridgeshire working to regenerate their soil and capture carbon.

The festival is supported by Cambridge City Council, SUSTAIN and Sustainable Food Places.

It forms part the #GoldFoodCambridge campaign, backed by the Cambridge Independent, which encourages everyone in Cambridge to help co-create a local food system that is healthy, climate-friendly and fair for all.

The city, which won a Sustainable Places Silver Award in 2021, is aiming to become the third Gold Sustainable Food Place in the UK by 2024.

The line-up

For more on the festival, or to register for these events, visit cambridgesustainablefood.org

• Growing Together! Outside Arbury Court Library - Sat Oct 15, 11am-1pm
• Food Cycle community meal at St Andrew’s Baptist Church - Sat Oct 15, 12.30-1.30pm
• Abbey harvest at CoFarm, Sun Oct 16, 1.30-3.30pm
• Community gathering and World Food Day celebration at CoFarm, Sun Oct 16, 4- 7.30pm
• Climate action in the Cambridge community at The Guildhall - Sun Oct 16, 11am-1pm
• Community kitchen at The Meadows - Mon Oct 17 and Tue Oct 18, 5-8pm
• Climate diet stall at The Church of The Good Shepherd food hub - Tue Oct 18, 9.30am-12pm
• Unexpected item in the bagging area at The Church of The Good Shepherd, Tue Oct 18, 12-1pm
• The Red Hen Project Club cook live at Arbury Community Centre, Tue Oct 18, 10am-12pm
• Climetti Spaghetti cook-a-long with Bea - Tue Oct 18, 5.30-7pm live on Zoom. Recording available on YouTube for the rest of the festival week
• Orchard caring with Cambridge PPF at Coton Countryside Reserve, Wed Oct 19, 10.30am-2pm
• Sustainable Food Business Alliance at Cambridge venue - contact CSF for details, Wed Oct 19, 1.30-4pm
• Tasting day at Daily Bread Co-operative, Wed Oct 19, 10am-3pm
• The Red Project Club cook live at St Andrew’s Hall, Chesterton, Wed Oct 19, 12-2pm
• Climate diet stall at Cherry Hinton food hub, Wed Oct 19, 1.30-2.30pm
• Climate diet stall at Abbey food hub - Wed Oct 19, 3-5.30pm
• Climate diet stall at The Edge food hub - Thu Oct 20, 9.30-11.30am
• Fermentation Workshop at The Meadows - Thu Oct 20, 1-3pm or 6-8pm
• Climate diet stall at Coleridge food hub - Thu Oct 20, 3-4.30pm
• Climate diet stall at Trumpington food hub - Fri Oct 21, 11.30am-2pm
• Food for the Planet Festival at the Museum of Technology - Sat Oct 22, 11am-6pm
• Disco soup at the Museum of Technology - Sat Oct 22, 11.30am-2pm
• FoodCycle community meal at St Andrew’s Baptist Church - Sat Oct 22, 12.30-1.30pm
• Grow with us at Burnside Community Allotments - Sat Oct 22, 1-4pm
• Healthy soils - healthy food with Carbon Neutral Cambridge and Six Inches of Soil at the Museum of Technology - Sat Oct 22, 4-6pm

Specials and discounts at local food businesses

From Sat Oct 15-Sat Oct 22 unless stated:

• Climate menu specials at Cambscuisine’s country pubs
• Climate menu specials at Maison Clements two bakeries
• Indian cookery class discounts at Bibi’s Indian Cookery
• Food for the Planet menu at Fin Boys
• Special discounts at Meadows Cambridge
• Festival menu at Homerton College
• Cookery class discounts at Learn to Cook Cambridge
• Climate specials at The Petersfield
• Coffee discounts at Thrive Cambridge - Mon Oct 17-Thu Oct 20
• Climate menu special at Maurizio Dining & Co - Mon Oct 17-Thu Oct 20
• Discounted dishes and film screening at Thrive Cambridge - Fri Oct 21, 11am-5pm
• Food for the Planet specials at Market House - Tue Oct 25-Sat Nov 5