We wanted to produce food so local, organic, be in control of what we’re eating. And so we took on three plots at the Cecil Avenue allotments that are in Great Horton. Julia* Growing your own food is such a radical thing. Having a cup of tea and talking to each other is such a radical thing because it’s taking control of your life, of the means of production. You know where your food’s grown and where it’s come from, and you’ve felt that soil and being part of that. Cathy * So trying to use seasonal stuff, trying to use organic stuff, thinking about quality of food, because of how that impacts where it’s been grown as well, but also about how that affects our health and things. And it was very enjoyable. And also, I was doing that when I had young children, so it enabled me to do some work that was outside the home, but flexible. Julia * So I started going to the 1 in 12 club through gigs, and then started volunteering in the cafe. And the cafe was mainly the club’s way of feeding all our customers. Whenever bands played, we used to feed the bands. We’d make them a good meal. And then I heard about this kind of fine dining element (laughs), the kind of posh cafe; there was the Peasant’s Collective. Because the Peasant’s Collective wasn’t just growing. We actually started branching out into outside catering. So the Peasant’s Collective was more community focused. We were out there doing the catering for the council, for people’s weddings, and for the Refugee Council, and where possible we used the food that we’d grown. Catherine * Our work with the Peasants Collective did mean that we were out and about round town. So I do think it created a good reputation of the 1 in 12 club. Julia * Those Friday Cafe sessions, we publicised them in town so we weren’t just doing them for members. People could come in and have a lunch in their lunch break from work, and it was a really good way to get people involved in the club. Chris * There was always a running joke, because we grew a lot of artichokes, and they’re often called farty-chokes. Catherine* We did catering at protests, things like the G8 in Stirling and Climate Camp. And so we took all the equipment and our experience… and cooked for people who had traveled from around the world. I think that had a massive impact. I think we all felt like we were part of something bigger. Cathy *
* Peasant collective
PART TWO: A PLACE OF COMMUNITY
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