New food festival to launch in Bristol

Founded by restaurateur Josh Eggleton MBE and Shona Graham of Team Canteen, FŌDA is a new ‘festival of food ideas’ taking place at the Arnolfini in Bristol 27 to 28 September.

Including an artisanal Producer Village along the quayside and the launch of The Pony Farm Bus, the festival will culminate in a symposium chaired by food writer Xanthe Clay and Roger Saul, with a line-up of expert speakers including Margot Henderson, The Newt, Our Farm by Simon Rogan, Gurdeep Loyal and Max La Manna.

Eggleton, co-founder of the event, is chef-owner of The Pony Group, with restaurants across Bristol and Somerset. He also spearheads various charity and community projects, including Team Canteen with Ghraham – a not-for-profit CIC supporting food banks and underrepresented communities in the city. 

The evolution of FŌDA

Eggleton first launched FŌDA as an industry event, but this year it opens to the public for the first time, taking over the Arnolfini arts centre on Bristol’s harbourside. The restaurateur was inspired by Food on the Edge in Galway; its founder, JP McMahon, will officially open FŌDA at the industry launch night on 26 September.

Tackling some of the big issues around food today – from health to regenerative farming and education – FŌDA will bring together industry professionals, leading experts, grassroots organisations and consumers. Ideas and inspiration will be shared through panel talks, workshops, exhibitions and an independent Producer Village along the waterfront.

“I’ve always wanted to use the energy and culture that we have here in Bristol to create nationwide conversations around food," says Eggleton. "The aim of FŌDA is to challenge our perceptions of, and relationship with food, from how we source it to how we eat it. And crucially, how we pass this knowledge on to the next generations. My hope is that this will become an annual event providing the public with access to a broad range of experts at the top of their game, and that we’ll have some lively debate.”

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