THE TOWN IS THE MENU
Food story
WORDS ROBYN WOLSEY
T
he sharing of food is a great leveller. Every other Friday at Deveron Projects in Huntly, a small town in Aberdeenshire, we invite people to speak about topics that relate to art, their travels, gardening or many other walks of life. At lunchtime our little team, along with artists and whoever else wants to join us, have lunch together and get involved in this sharing of knowledge. For the past 25 years Deveron Projects has been slowly growing ideas around art, food, walking and eating, together with the communities of Huntly. We inhabit, explore, map and activate the place through artist driven projects. Huntly’s small-town context, its 18th Century streets and the surrounding Aberdeenshire countryside offer an abundance of possibilities to work with, especially since the recent development of a new community kitchen and project space at Square Deal. Throughout the summer, as part of a residency at Deveron Projects, artist-chef Kawther Luay invited the community to take part in foraging walks. Folk gathered to walk and talk, sharing their knowledge about what wild foods are available, paying close attention to our local larder and the movement of seasons. Herbs, flowers, and all manner of edible plants were pointed out and harvested for discussion. Marking the end of Kawther’s residency, we hosted a Midsummer Meal in Huntly Town Square for everyone to enjoy. Two long tables stretched across the Square, with live music and poetry performances, locally sourced food, and, luckily, glorious sunshine. Celebrating the simple act of eating together after a year-long social fast, the meal celebrated our relationships with food and with each other, setting a space to playfully invite friendship and closeness amidst ‘social distancing’ measures. This invitation extended to the wild, utilising the natural larders of Huntly’s local ecology, from the White Wood to the banks of the River
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Deveron. Plants and herbs from close to home were hidden in each of the dishes, or perhaps taking centre stage!
“Kids joined to learn kitchen skills, cook new flavours, collect fresh garden grown ingredients and play with all this new knowledge. ”
Training up the next generation of growers and chefs, in collaboration with local social enterprises Neep & Okra and Honesty Bakehouse, we recently ran the first Summer Cookery School in Huntly at Square Deal over the school holidays for children aged 10+.
Kids joined to learn kitchen skills, cook new flavours, collect fresh garden grown ingredients and play with all this new knowledge from Neep & Okra and Honesty Bakehouse. Creative activities were sent out each week to everyone involved to build on the skills learnt in the workshops - think vegetable mask and costume making, garden comic strip designing and recipe booklet printing! These materials are still available to all, get in touch with us to find out more. Facing up to the global climate and ecological emergency, growing, cooking, and eating food together can also be used as a tool to rethink how a community might feed itself in the future. Food, and the hospitality that comes with it, is a way to inspire new connections, friendships, and valuable cultural exchange. You can join us every other Friday for lunch if you like, everyone’s welcome. www.deveron-projects.com
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