Street Food

In times past, being in possession of herbs in High Town may have got you into trouble. Yet a brilliant community initiative has transformed some parts of the area into places of peace, propagation... and potatoes.

Edible High Town has grown from the green shoots of The Incredible Edible Movement, which is a national vision to create kind, confident and connected communities through the power of food. Their mantra is, ‘If you eat, you’re in’.

The group, with project co-ordinator Konni Deppe at the helm, and ably supported by her band of volunteers, currently tend to eight garden spaces in the area that were previously neglected, unattractive spots that served no purpose to the local community. And each one of them offers something unique.

“High Town is a ward with around 10,000 people and is one of the

“We have spaces that range from the size of an allotment to two square metres on a street corner that we look after. All our gardens are publicly accessible. They are not fenced in and are open 24 hours a day, which means they are for everyone to harvest and for everyone to enjoy.”

Seasonal fruits, vegetables, herbs, trees and flowers flourish under the shadows of the train station and former hat factories, and are all fair game for the residents’ pantries.

“I would say about fifty per cent is not harvested by us, the volunteers. The other fifty is harvested by people who we don’t know. There is a clear need as sometimes I think we’re like a food bank

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