Good Food Cardiff Autumn Festival aims to empower Cardiff's communities to champion local, sustainable food

Following the success of the 2020 Festival, Food Cardiff’s Good Food Cardiff Autumn Festival has returned with a focus on building healthy communities. With both in-person and virtual events taking place during the week of 16th – 24th October, the festival will host a series of dedicated sessions that are centred on nutritious food, sustainability and connecting with likeminded individuals. 

Sustainable food partnership, Food Cardiff understands that the food eaten has a big impact on daily life across Cardiff. Beyond health benefits, good food that is sustainably and locally sourced helps to build a thriving local food economy and tackle climate change. A member of the Sustainable Food Places network, Food Cardiff recently became the first place in Wales to be awarded Silver status, recognising the city’s pioneering work in promoting healthy and sustainable food.

Last year’s Autumn Festival saw 45 events organised, attracting 4,000 attendees and over 5,000 vegetable plants distributed to local people. Continuing to build on the momentum generated last year, Food Cardiff aims to help communities to grow their own food, share produce and connect with neighbours during this year’s COVID-19 secure, city-wide programme of events.

Bringing together community groups, local businesses, gardens, schools and organisations, the Good Food Cardiff Autumn Festival will be centred on building stronger, healthier communities that prioritise good food. Launching on World Food Day (16th October), local artist, Nathan Wyburn will be creating a large-scale image using locally grown fruit and veg, which will then be cooked up by groups throughout the festival. As well as this, the Festival will be welcoming good food content and activities from partners across the city, including food quizzes, a Virtual Grow Along, Pumpkin Carving sessions and much more.

Local businesses including Bar 44, Penylan Pantry and the Secret Garden Café will be running “Good Food Cardiff menu specials” for the festival, to celebrate delicious, nutritious and planet-friendly food.

“As a Health Board we are focused, with our partners, on improving the health and wellbeing of our staff and local population, with a particular focus on creating a healthier food environment. We are always delighted to support the work of our partner Food Cardiff, who play an important role in helping our population access good food and championing a sustainable food system in Cardiff. The Good Food Autumn Festival is a fantastic event that encourages our communities to come together and connect over the importance of improving access to the amount of healthy, environmentally sustainable choices on offer,” Fiona Kinghorn, Executive Director of Public Health, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said.

The festival will also mark the launch of Cardiff’s city-wide food strategy at its Good Food Summit on the 22nd October. The food strategy has been developed with the support of over 2,500 people in the city, identifying five Good Food Goals to prioritise over the coming years, and helping to improve the way individuals and businesses grow, buy, cook and eat across Cardiff.

The Good Food Summit will bring together leaders, businesses, organisations, community groups and activists to kick-start action to create a better food future. 

Speakers will include Cllr Huw Thomas, Leader of Cardiff Council, Carolyn Steel, Author, Jane Davidson, former Welsh Government Minister, Nirushan Sudarsan, young leader working with Citizens Cymru Wales and Fiona Kinghorn, Executive Director of Public Health at Cardiff and Vale Health Board.

Festival organiser and Sustainable Food Places Coordinator at Food Cardiff, Pearl Costello, explained: “Our Good Food Autumn Festival is one of our major events and we are very excited to launch our Good Food Strategy which will be used to transform the food we grow, buy and eat across Cardiff. 

"The festival will be opportunity to celebrate all of the fantastic work that community groups and businesses have done to keep the city fed and to bring us together over the past year. The Summit will explore to how Cardiff can build on this momentum and transform the local food system.

“By getting more people involved in the festival, Cardiff is creating a good food movement which will boost the amount of healthy, environmentally sustainable food on offer, which supports a thriving local food economy, empowers people and is fair and connected.” 

To find out more about Food Cardiff’s Good Food Autumn Festival, the events taking place and how you can get involved, please visit the Food Cardiff webpage.

Alternatively, to participate or host your own event as part of this Festival, please email foodsensewales@wales.nhs.uk.