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The humble Carlin Pea, once a staple of northern kitchens and celebrations, is stepping back into the spotlight as cooks, growers and communities rediscover its flavour, history and potential. Last Sunday was Carlin Sunday : the fifth Sunday in Lent is known as “Carlin Sunday” in the North East, when these peas are traditionally eaten, normally as parched peas - boiled and served doused in salt and vinegar. This custom is unique to the region, and we want to keep the tradition alive. A Pea With Deep Northern Roots Carlin peas , sometimes known as black peas or maple peas, have been part of northern food culture for centuries. Their story stretches from medieval monastic gardens to the famous Newcastle siege of 1644, when a shipment of Carlins is said to have saved the city from starvation. Parched peas have been served on Carlin Sunday for generations: do you have any memories of this as a child?! Delicious, Nutritious and Surprisingly Versatile Beyond the folklore, Carlins are great to cook with. High in protein, fibre and iron, they’re hearty and delicious. Their flavour is nutty and earthy, similar to chickpeas but richer, and they hold their shape beautifully in cooking, so you work just as well in a classic bowl of parched peas as they do in modern dishes: curries, salads, stews, even a Carlin pea paella. The Hodmedod's Website has loads of great recipe ideas for you. Good for the Soil and Good for the North Like other legumes, Carlin peas fix nitrogen in the soil, reducing the need for fertilisers and supporting regenerative farming. Many northern farms already grow peas and beans to improve soil health, but much of this crop ends up fed to livestock or ploughed back into the ground. Reviving Carlins for human food could diversify local agriculture, support farmers, and build a more resilient regional food system that relies less on imported food and animal proteins. Food of past, present, and future The tradition of eating Carlin peas is fading in many places, even in their heartlands. Reviving them is about valuing the rich food culture of the North, celebrating ingredients that tell our story, but it is also about celebrating our present and future diverse communities, making opportunities to connect through shared dishes. Carlins (and other peas and beans) feature in recipes around the world, from dal to hummus to foul medames, making them a perfect ingredient for inclusive community food events. Mick Marston, who is a member of Gateshead Food Partnership Steering group, has been engaging local groups to spread the message of carlin peas and encourage more groups to grow. He will share more on this next month.

In October 2024, Gateshead Food Partnership and Green Heart NE CIC came together to trial a food hub pilot in Gateshead, aiming to make it easier and cheaper for organisations to purchase food for their community food projects. The Gateshead Food Hub works by purchasing food in bulk at wholesale prices and delivering it in our electric van to community projects free of charge, supporting them to make their funding and donations go further. The project has now supplied more than 20 organisations across the borough with a newly set up food ordering system. It has also been able to provide an ad-hoc service distributing free food and other goods between organisations committed to reducing food waste in the North East, including REfUSE in Chester-Le-Street and Olio collectors in Gateshead. Following the successful pilot, the project is now able to be extended with the help of local charity Feeding Families. Food pantries, community kitchens and other social impact food projects in Gateshead can continue ordering through the established system, and with support from Feeding Families, the project will be rolled out further across the region. One of Gateshead's Food Charter aims is that Gateshead is a place where everyone has access to healthy, nutritious and affordable food, moving from reliance on food aid to food justice and resilience. The Food Hub project has a longer-term aim to become a way to distribute sustainable, locally sourced, good food for North East charities and communities. The move to Feeding Families comes alongside the beginnings of a new 'Food Justice Network', aiming to work supportively and in partnership with local projects to help reduce the demand for emergency food provision, move away from traditional food banking and towards more dignified, sustainable models of community food provision. Councillor Maria Hall, cabinet member for Localities, Communities and Volunteering at Gateshead Council, said: “We are so grateful to Green Heart for their work to establish this scheme. I am delighted that the trial in Gateshead, led by our Food Partnership Coordinator Nikki Dravers and funded through our UK Shared Prosperity Fund, has resulted in Feeding Families picking up the project to scale up across the region. Everyone should have access to affordable food, and we need to do everything we can to support families that are struggling in our area.” Andy Redfern, founder of Green Heart NE CIC, said : “The success of the Food Hub, with the support of Gateshead Council, is largely due to adapting different approaches to food supply until a sustainable model was found. I am excited to see Feeding Families take this project forward, allowing it to grow to the next level.” Wayne Dobson, Chief Executive of Feeding Families, said: “We are passionate about getting nutritious food into the hands of those who need it. By working together across the region and using Feeding Families UK scale in purchasing power, distribution and logistics, we can support thousands of families struggling with the cost of living. We are thankful for the great foundation laid out by Green Heart and aim to build on the shared vision of releasing people from food insecurity.” To find out more about how to get involved with the Gateshead Food Partnership, follow our social media channels or sign up to our newsletter by signing the Food Charter. To find out more about the organisations supporting people to access affordable food in Gateshead, visit Affordable food | OurGateshead or this document maintained by Gateshead Food Bank

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From Gardens to Gatherings, a vibrant celebration of our borough’s growing community food movement, is taking place in Saltwell Park this September. This flagship event will showcase the power of food to connect people across cultures and backgrounds, improve health and wellbeing, enhance our environment, and support sustainable local economies. This celebration event will be a chance to eat good food together around banquet-style tables, share recipes, learn new skills, celebrate food heritage and diversity of tastes in Gateshead. It will be a colourful, inclusive event, great for a family day out, all ages and backgrounds are welcome. It is free to attend, all the workshops and activities will be free, and a variety of food options will be sold at low cost. No booking is required: please come along anytime between 11am and 4pm, though get in there quick if you want to sign up to the workshops! The event will include: Stretch tent filled with stalls showcasing voluntary sector organisations and projects based around food growing, creativity, and community food activities, selling fruit and vegetables grown in Gateshead by community groups, products made by local social enterprises A schedule of practical workshops: learn about foraging, fermenting and dehydrating foods, tips on how to reduce food waste, make tea with locally grown herbs, and share stories of Gateshead’s food heritage and future. Sign up on the day, first come, first served Food demonstration Tipi: hosted by Chef Anthony O’Shaughnessy with a variety of local chefs Hot food offer serving locally produced and organic food cooked by Gateshead College students; tasty homemade soup served by the team at The Bank Chopwell; and Saji's Restaurant Felling serving Punjabi food. Enjoy this feast around banquet-style communal tables, dressed with wildflowers, encouraging people to eat together and start conversations with strangers A small stage for entertainment and musical performances and short talks A tipi tent for children and young people, creative play and art activities for all ages We really encourage you to use public transport wherever possible to get to this event. This event is funded by UK Government UK Shared Prosperity Fund; as well as funding from North East Combined Authority, and Royal Horticultural Society. Showcasing Gateshead Food Partnership: around 30 different voluntary sector organisations and small local food businesses will be involved on the day, with stalls, workshops, creative activities, cooking demonstrations, and musical entertainment.

Applications are now open for grant funding for community food projects. We expect to award grants of between £500 and £5,000, although larger amounts may be considered.

Gateshead Food Partnership are hosting a networking event focused on ideas and strategies for sharing training and skills related to food growing.

The two weeks of Christmas and New Year can be a particularly difficult time for people who are on their own as their usual routines are disrupted and other public services are closed.

A small pot of grant funding has been made available from Gateshead Council for community food projects to apply for.

The inaugural Gateshead Food Summit will be officially launching Gateshead Food Partnership: a collaboration of organisations looking at a joined up, whole system approach to make nutritious, culturally appropriate, and environmentally sustainable food affordable and accessible for everyone in Gateshead. We invite representatives from public, voluntary, and private sector organisations, as well as any interested Gateshead citizens, to join us at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts to hear opportunities and challenges relating to food in Gateshead, network with others, be inspired by work already happening, join in discussions and take action together. We will ask attendees to sign Gateshead's new Food Charter, to help co-create and deliver a sustainable food strategy for Gateshead. Friday 8th November, 9:15AM to 4:00PM. Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. More information and reserve your place below: