WHAT’S THE FESTIVAL ALL ABOUT?
St. Davids in Pembrokeshire, Britain’s smallest City, is the venue for this unique event. Set in the stunning Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, The Really Wild Food and Countryside Festival is a ‘Celebration of Food and Countryside Crafts Originating from the Wild’. It shows how we can all explore, understand and make use of wild materials in the same way that our ancestors did, but with some new ideas.
The overall ethos of the Festival is to encourage people out into the countryside, make them more aware of what is around them, and to help them realise what nature can provide for use in the kitchen, for crafts, or for medicinal purposes. Walking is healthy as we all know, so foraging around in the fresh air for some ingredients for your supper, for instance, is a great way to spend some quality time.
The uses of plants for medicine, nourishment and household use has been overtaken by “quick fixes” of tins and packets, chemicals and plastics. Historically, wild plants were the chief raw materials in the household economy and they played a central part in the lives of generations before us. Almost every part of a plant had a use, viz. building materials, utensils, clothing, tools, medicines and furniture. We can still make the most of wild plants in the same way that our ancestors did, both as food and craft materials, but with some contemporary slants.
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We don’t have to do anything at all to some pre-packaged fruit and vegetables from the supermarket, so perhaps searching, picking, rinsing, and preparing food from the wild might seem too much like hard work, despite the fact that it costs nothing. The excitement and anticipation of seasonal choice has disappeared and our laziness and apathy has allowed ancient customs and skills to disappear We are now used to eating the same fruit and vegetables at any time of the year, often tasteless, imported, and usually treated with chemicals. Even much of the organic food sold in supermarkets has travelled thousands of miles by air, the least environmentally friendly way to travel!
We should remember that all the vegetables and fruit that we enjoy today are descended from their wild ancestors so there is nothing wrong with collecting bits and pieces from the wild to provide a salad or zap up a meal. If only people would buy locally and support producers in their own area, and get out into the fresh air, exploring the countryside and coast, gathering things to pep up their menu, we would all be somewhat healthier. Even the increase in freezer-owning families has not greatly encouraged the gathering and preserving of available wild foods for use at a later date.
There now appears, at last, to be a revival of interest in things rural and historic trades are once again starting to contribute to the local economy, culture and heritage. These traditional crafts are playing an increasing role in the leisure, recreation, construction and tourism industries.
Gradually the festival will develop those aspects that reflect countryside activities and skills, while still allowing visitors to the festival to identify the source, sample and enjoy produce that has originated, specifically, from the natural countryside of Wales – indeed all stall-holders must prove the source of their produce to the Festival organisers, prior to their allocation of space. |
