See a fuller description: About the Diss Food Network

We are starting a 'feasibility phase' of the Diss Food Network, on a very small scale to see how acceptable 
it is to you and to learn what you would like it to do.

LATEST NEWS: We are submitting a funding application to the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. If successful, it will pay 
for a part-time co-ordinator plus expenses for events, publicity, marketing, re-usable packaging. 
It will mean the Diss Food Network can start for real!

Gourmet Meal a great success! On Saturday March 10th, over 60 people squeezed into the Backspace, the community room behind the Angel Café on Fair Green for a gourmet meal as part of the start of the Diss Food Network. The consensus was that it was a really good event. People loved the food, which is a great credit to the suppliers: Jan from the Angel Café, Frederick, the Michelin Star chef from Frederick’s Fine Foods, and Keith from Castles. And all agreed that the Lizzie Smith band gave a great performance. The space was cramped, but that also made it very social, with everyone getting to know the strangers on their tables. Gary Alexander, who organised the event for the Diss Community Partnership, said “It is clear that we have found a good formula: excellent food, mostly local and good entertainment. We could have sold twice as many tickets had we enough room. We will do it again. We’ve learned a lot about starting the Food Network too.” He is currently looking for volunteers to help with future events like this one and also to help create a directory and website listings of good suppliers of local food. Contact him on 07766-711999 on at g.r.alexander@open.ac.uk.

What will the Diss Food Network offer?

• More events like the first one on 10th March: good food - as local as we can make it, good entertainment, good company.
• A Directory of good suppliers of local food: vegetables, meat, bread, processed foods, cafés and restaurants that feature local food...
• Newsletters telling of events and special offers
• Of course, this website will have the contents of the Directory and Newsletters first!
• Opportunities for volunteering: organising the above.

• Deliveries, organised by members or by combining deliveries from the suppliers
• Opportunities for volunteering
  
• We will purchase a range of re-usable packaging materials for members (jute bags, large containers, etc.) to keep wastes down.
• We will encourage members to share produce from gardens and allotments, and to organise shared meals and other social events.
• We will encourage members to form ‘Food Circles’ that offer each other and the Network garden produce and prepared foods, and organise shared meals and other events. A mixture of volunteering and micro-employment.

Apply to be a provider to the Diss Food Network!

We urgently need volunteers. Can you help by organising events or helping us to compile the directory and website?  
Contact Gary Alexander if you want to help.

We are rapidly building up a list of suppliers who are interested in the Food Network. The initial ones are:

In Diss

• The Natural Food Store, Norfolk Yard
• Frederick's Fine Food, Norfolk Yard
• Castles, Mere St.
• Angel Cafe, Fair Green
• Browns Butchers, St. Nicholas St.
  
• Cannells Butchers, Mere St.
• Les Amandines, Norfolk Yard

Surrounding area

• Desmond Duncan's Organic Box Scheme, Palgrave
• Shrubbery Farm, Carleton, Rode, potatoes and vegetables grown with minimum chemicals
  
• Greenwood's Apples, Carleton Rode,
  
• Grain Brewery, speciality beers, Harleston
• Mick the Baker, traditional bread, Bridgham
• Eostre Organics, organic farmers co-operative, Old Buckenham
• Lime Tree Farm Eggs, Hempnall
• The Spice Girls, organic vegetarian 'fast food', Tacolneston/Bunwell
• Fressingfield Hall, startup organic farmer near Harleston
  

The Diss Food Network is a project of the Diss Community Partnership and Slow Food Waveney Valley who will organise its events.