Developing Skills

The field to fork local food chain requires a diversity of skills and knowledge to sustain itself and over the generations these have been handed down through families and communities rather than being more formally taught.

Nowadays there is a significant attempt to include basic skills training within a formal structure but these attempts will inevitably only impact on a limited number of people.

As part of the Foodlink project we will encourage the wider development of talent and support initiatives which seek to preserve traditional skills in cooking local foods so that they are not lost or forgotten.

In publicising the successes of both individuals and groups from across the region that are like-minded to ourselves in local food skill and knowledge development we expect to motivate others to learn from their examples and help maintain a vibrant resource for the future.

Developing cooking skills starts at an early age often by helping in the family kitchen and this ignites the embers of passion to proceed further and we will encourage and publicise examples so that the next generation becomes involved and talent is spotlighted.

The ability to select, prepare and cook a variety of locally sourced foods for family and friends should be an essential life skill for everyone which draws on other essential taught skills like maths, physics, chemistry and biology.

Cooking is science in action where the kitchen becomes the experimental laboratory combining research enquiry and experimentation with artistic flair, skill, knowledge and practical application.

Foodlink is always looking for ways of developing skills in cookery.