Food Growing Bloggers Festival

I’ve spent a lot of time recently discussing with Kate over on
http://hillsandplainsseedsavers.blogspot.com/2008/04/food-growing-bloggers.html
the idea of setting up a "food growing bloggers" international festival.

Neither Kate nor I go for the kind of big corporate event hosted in some impersonal hotel in the centre of a grey city. But we do both feel that a small scale event where people who had a real interest in growing food and writing about it could come together for a day or maybe longer and chat, discuss and maybe learn, certainly exchange ideas with like minded people would be fun.

Now Kate realises that Adelaide is a long way from Europe or from the USA, and I realise that France is a long way from Australia or from the USA but we would like to get this idea up and running.

Kate has started the ball rolling with a firm commitment to holding a small scale event on Kitchen Garden Day which this year is August 24th (Sunday). I was always good at playing follow the leader so I have decided to go for the same date and hold something here in France. Both events will be based at our respective homes so we will need people to tell us if they are intending to come

For details of Kate’s event in Australia go to
http://hillsandplainsseedsavers.blogspot.com/2008/04/food-growing-bloggers.html

I’m organising an event here in South West France – a short drive from Bergerac, near Bordeaux. For 2008 the event will be held on Sunday 24th August 2008. I’m thinking it will start in the morning with a visit to our local village market – conveniently held every Sunday morning, about 5 kms from here. After the trip to the market we will return to my place where I’m hoping to serve a meal in the garden.

I’m asking everyone who comes to provide a dish made out of produce from their own garden or at least local produce. If you are thinking of travelling far to visit us then email me and we’ll discuss as I don’t want to put you off coming because you can’t bring a local salad from Australia!

I’m hoping that after the meal there’ll be an opportunity to visit some of our neighbour’s gardens to see what they do differently or the same.

I can put a couple of people up in our home so if you are thinking of coming from afar, again email and let’s discuss. I can certainly recommend things to do so that you can fill a few days in this wonderful part of France (Perigord) including visits to chateaux, gardens and I have a tame vintner if you would like to taste the local wine. If you are a serious wine person then you will know that Bergerac is in the heart of a great number of Appelations.

If you check out Kate’s blog you’ll notice she set up a poll to see whether this was a good idea. I’m not that democratic so I’m going with it and not setting up the poll.

Those of you who know a little about me will know that we run a holiday apartment here in France, if you want to come and wish to stay at our self catering flat then simply check the availability on our website and then contact me – www.lesfontenelles.co.uk/ If you are not familiar with the area then our web site has a lot of information about the locality and also on getting here.


I’m looking forward to meeting some of you. Please leave a comment or send me an email to say what you think of our idea.

Oh, and if your planning to come to Europe, but maybe not this year, then I am hoping to hold this festival every year, maybe not on the same day, but certainly within a week or two.

Ian