Podcast · Arts & Books

Eat the System

by darren squires · English · Arts & Books

Food is part of everyone's lives. Join me as I attempt to unpick, all aspects of the food system. I'll be joined by guest experts who are passionate about the food system that feeds our bodies, and sometimes our souls too. Produce by the Hull Food Partnership in association with Creative Projects

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 27 min
Latest: 23 Sep 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

23 Sep 2026 · 29 min

The Real Farming Trust

In this month's episode I speak to Jade Bashford of the Real Farming Trust, about Food Justice, and how food can sustain not just the individual, but the community. The Extended Table project brings four organisations from across the UK into a single faceted initiative that realises the power of good food, and a good food system. There are perhaps a few key principles that make Extended Table an exemplar of a well designed project. It has a unifying idea that is realised in several different ways, capacity building is explicitly build in, and the evaluation process is meaningful. Of these it…

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Earlier episodes 27 most recent

E27 · 27 Jul 2026 · 26 min
Thumbing the Scales - a speech to the Southwestern Law School, Summer School.
You may remember back in episode 22 our guest was Andrea Freeman, a US law professor about the state of food justice in the USA.This month I was able to return the favour and speak to her students from the Southwestern Law School, during their summer school at the School or Oriental and African Studies in London.This is a recording of the speech I gave, some of these subjects will be familiar to regular listeners, and some may even deserve their own future episode. But for now, here is a introduction to how a small provincial food partnership cam occasionally thumb the scales of food justice…
E26 · 29 Jun 2026 · 31 min
The Garlic Farm
There was a time in this country when garlic was looked upon with suspicion, and more; I know becuase I was there. These days there are plenty of us who would consider the store cupboard incompete if we didn't have bulb on premanent standb. The Garlic farm, base on the the Isle of Wight has made garlic its brand focus. But more than that, they have embraced organic, regenerative and agro-ecological practices that have put them at the forefront of what sustainable farming can be, and needs to be. I spoke to Barnes about the two abiding passions oin the farm, what they do, and how they do it…
E25 · 27 May 2026 · 25 min
LOQL
Farm to fork is something we've discussed already here on the podcast. If you are interested in local, even ultra local food systems then please do check out episode 20- where I discovered one of the most successful local food infrastructures. In the interview I asked Janie from OxfarmtoFork whether their system was scalable. She said, I think rightly, that it couldn't be scaled up, but it could be replicated. But that was here in the UK. In Germany there is a scalable local food platform, in fact it is already working at scale, serving supermakrets and consumers across the country. LOQL,…
E24 · 27 Apr 2026 · 28 min
St Philips Church
What does a community food organisations look like? Well actually chances are it doesn't look like a community food organisation. With the exception of actual food banks run by the Trussel trust everyone else started off doing something else: and they continue to at least try to fulfil their primary roles. Community centres, youth clubs, schools, housing projects, and of course churches, so many have taken on the burden of managing some sort of food provision. St Philips is an Anglican church in one of the outlying estates in Hull. With a history dating back over half a century, it is…
E23 · 17 Mar 2026 · 21 min
Groundwork Meat Buying Club
There is a circle in the food system that we are desperate to square. How do we ensure that farmers get paid a fair price while at the same time ensuring that food is more affordable.One example of this conundrum is our attempts to set up food buying clubs and Co-Ops that are cheaper than supermarkets, yet we are fully aware of the price pressures that supermakers are applying. to producers. And don't get me started on trying to compete with the economies of scale enjoyed by the likes of Asda and Tesco. Well the short answer to how we can square this circle is that we can't. And the long…
E22 · 16 Feb 2026 · 32 min
Food Justice and Food Oppression in the USA
Once again in this episode, we will be crossing the pond. Andrea Freeman is an American academic and author. Her book "Ruin their Crops on the Ground" relates the history, and current state, of the US food system; especially how it affects marginalised communities. It is a story that is, at best rife with ignorance, and at worst, fraught with deliberate harm. You can purchase Andrea's book from here https://www.rarewaves.com/products/9781250871039-ruin-their-crops-on-the-ground or from their Ebay Store. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
E21 · 28 Jan 2026 · 22 min
From School Dinners to the School Curriculum: The Role of Food in the School System
This months episode is a sort of epilogue to last month's. After the metaphorical tape stopped rolling the conversation, between me an Janie continued - much of it on a topic dear to both our hearts, the role food in the school school system - from school dinners to the school curriculum. Because this wasn't intended for the podcast you'll hear a lot more from me than usual, along with some insights into how the podcast is made. Find out more about Incredible Edible Lambeth, and watch the film that Janie mentions, here https://www.incredibleediblelambeth.org/ Hosted on Acast. See…
E20 · 17 Dec 2025 · 24 min
OxFarmToFork
If I was to try and describe the perfect food procurement supply chain it would go something like this: short, transparent, fair and sustainable. well in this month's episode Janie Bickersteth from Oxfarm to Fork tell us about an initative that hits all these points and some. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
E19 · 9 Nov 2025 · 36 min
Elspeth Hay - Feed us with Trees
A month or so ago a US publisher emailed to ask if I'd like to interview Elspeth Hay, about her recently published book about harvesting nuts., called 'Feed us with Trees' Obviously I agreed, I love talking to anyone about food . But what I didn't expect was how profoundly reading the book would both change and clarify my outlook. From how traditional hunter-gathering societies managed the land, to how trees could and should play a major role in modern agriculture, prepare to discover a missing piece of the modern food system. You can download a copy of the book from here…
E18 · 20 Aug 2025 · 26 min
Lucinda Place Community Orchard
In this episode we're heading out of town And by 'out of town, I don't mean the countryside I mean suburban Auckland, on New Zealands North Island. This is a bit of a family affair, as the tour guide is my sister, and you hear the odd interjection from my Dad. You'll also need a brief orentation session, so here we go. I was there at Christmas, which is coming into summer, and when talk about the climate up north, that's closer to the equator, with hotter summer and milder winters. So join me on on a tour of the The Lucida Place Community Orchard.The crops might be different - I mean olives…
E17 · 23 Jun 2025 · 24 min
In Conversation with Janna
This episode is a follow on from the previous episode, During our visit to the Action Day for Nature I went on a guided tour around the site. I must say it was an inspirational guide to what can be done to share our amenity spaces with nature. Full credit needs to given to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and Andy Steele, who has done such sterling work at the rugby ground. But that isn't really what this episode is about, even though it takes place in that wonderful naturally managed space. Nor is it really an interview. At the end of the tour I fell into conversation with Janna, as we took a…
E16 · 28 May 2025 · 28 min
Action Day for Nature
The food system is never just about food - that's why it's so damnably complex. And that's why, as a food partnership, we are as likely to be found doing outreach at a health fair as seed swap. And that's why this month we were at an Action Day, where Yorkshire Wildlife Trust West Hull community Hub were showcasing some of the amazing changes they have made to the grounds of a local rugby club. We were there running a stall alongside with several other organisations, mostly with an environmental bent. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to grab my mic, and spent half an hour talking to some…
E15 · 22 Apr 2025 · 26 min
The Gourmet's Guide to Europe
We present "The Gourmet's Guide to Europe", a truly remarkable book, in many ways the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet of it's day; if you were an Edwardian Gentleman of refined tastes and deep pockets. Replete with the attitudes and opinions of the day, this is a book that reveals the historical roots of what we might still call "fine dining" So sit back and enjoy a bill of fayre that includes: when to avoid the restaurants at Trouville , a warning of what to expect at when dining at a German inn, and invaluable advice on where it is safe to take one's wife. We are indebted to Mr Harry Goodwin,…
E14 · 19 Mar 2025 · 30 min
Cheese, with Carlos Yescas
Cheese, Not everyone likes it, but those that do like it, tend to love it. Along with it's sometime partner, wine, it is one of those ancient foodstuffs that takes a few simple ingredients and seems produce infinite variety; thanks to traditional craft skills, and latterly, applied sciences. A few months ago I was sharing an Uber with Carlos, on the way home from a conference, and he let slip that he was in international cheese judge. Intrigued and delighted, I knew we just had to get him on the podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
E13 · 26 Feb 2025 · 26 min
EMS
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that many of the listeners to this podcast will have a fair idea of what a community food organisation is, and what is does. Some of you at least will work for one. But for those of you less familiar with what they are and how they do it , prepare for a bit of a deep dive into the whys and wherefores of a sector that has increased massively; in numbers, and in social importance, over recent years. For those of you most familiar with this sector, it is always worth listening to another story. Because you know what they say, if you've met one community…
E12 · 13 Jan 2025 · 30 min
Eat Well Do Well part 3 - Universal Free School Meals in Hull
This is the final episode of this mini-series . It marks 20 years since Hull City Council decided they would provide free school meals for all Primary pupils, saw that the regulations didn't allow for this, and then set about getting those regulations changed. We've spoken to the policy maker and the policy deliverer. In this episode it's time to hear from one of the teachers who worked in school when the Eat Well Do Well initiative came into being. Maureen Hulme was a primary school teacher in one the those neighbourhoods that benefited most from Eat Well Do Well. You may not recognise the…
E11 · 16 Dec 2024 · 25 min
Eat Well Do Well part 2 - Universal Free School Meals in Hull
In the last episode of the pod cast we spoke with Colin Inglis, The Hull City Council leader who implemented the country's first ever provision of Universal Free School meals. Not only this, the council's catering department brought in a policy of providing healthy and nutritious meals, years before Jamie Oliver thankfully shamed the government into re-establishing minimum school food standards. In part 2 of this 3 part mini series it made sense to talk with someone who delivered these much improved, and universally free, school lunches. This where a bit of good luck plays it's part. Mike…
E10 · 19 Nov 2024 · 31 min
Eat Well Do Well part 1 - Universal Free School Meals in Hull
As I'm sure many of you are aware, there is a campaign to to implement universal free school meals for every school pupil, whatever their circumstances. perhaps, just perhaps, this is an idea whose time has come. It is, for the the being at least, already in operation in both Scotland and London.It may be a current consideration, but it's by no means a new idea. 20 years ago, here in Hull, the council showed the political will necessary to make it happen, going as far as getting the law changed to allow this to happen.The Eat Well Do Well Scheme provided free school meals for every primary…
E9 · 23 Oct 2024 · 27 min
CaterExpo: On location at a food industry trade show
I love a good trade show. I know they aren't everybody's cup of tea, so I went so that you don't have to. There is a scale as well as a complexity to the food system. Standing in the centre of the huge show, which is also a tiny part of a small section of just catering, you get an inkling of how big it is. In this episode I talk tp some of the exhibitors about food, but also some of the other businesses that serve the food industry, from packaging to software. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
E8 · 18 Sep 2024 · 30 min
Community Growing spaces; and the Postcode Gardener Project
Community growing is a two handed endeavour, on the one hand you need to know how to care for your brassicas, and on the other you need to nurture the community. John Pickles has both skillsets in spades. In this episode we talk about managing a community allotment, and an exciting new project funded by Friends of the Earth, which will see community led rewilding in several neighbourhoods, including two in Hull. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
E7 · 25 Jul 2024 · 26 min
New Forest Aquaponics
The term 'Intensive farming' brings to mind unsustainable and un-natural practices - although to the fair all, forms of farming are actually un-natural if you think about it.But intensive can also mean a highly controlled growing system, that uses resources as efficiently as possible to maximise harvests. Like all farming methods, the sustainability and environmental impact of intensive farming will depends on how it is done, as well as the specifics of the particular farming system. Aquaponics is a self balancing system that is almost impossible to do badly, and in this episode we find out…
E6 · 24 Jun 2024 · 26 min
School Dinners
I'm sure we all have memories of school dinners - if you ever get the chance to visit a school in adulthood, two odours that will drag you straight back to childhood, floor polish and the dining hall. Some of us are old enough to remember school lunches before the food and nutritinal standards were repealed, and some of you may have attended at the height of the turkey twizzler craze. These days, apparently, school food standards are back. But with around 40% of primary schools, and over 80% of secondary schools run as academies, who is checking up. Actually the answer is effectively no-one.…
E5 · 28 May 2024 · 28 min
How do we teach young people about food and cooking?
How, and what, we teach the next generation about food is a mammoth subject, so expect us to return to this issue more than once. But for now, we are going to dive straight into middle. this is where we address past failures; and face that one last chance to put things right, before adulthood. In this episode I talk to 2 different guests, who are both delivering food eduction to young people (by which I mean around 16-25 years old) in non-formal educational; settings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
E4 · 22 Apr 2024 · 33 min
Fairtrade
No market is perfect, and when it comes to the international food trade, any well considered examination must conclude that it is not equitable, even when examined under the most free market ethos. We can either rail against these iniquities, or we can do something about it. In this month's podcast we're going to talk about an organisation that is doing something about, and enables us to do something, about it too. I met Joanna Fianu when she came over to Hull to talk about both Fairtrade and some of her own projects. She was an inspiration, as is the work Fairtrade do- it's one of the…
E3 · 20 Mar 2024 · 29 min
Food Crime
Do we really know where our food comes from? Can we guarantee how is is grown, how it is processed and what it actually contains? Once a supply chain becomes so long that no-one can see from one end to the other, there are opportunities to game the system, or worse. Food Crime is comes in several forms, it ranges from mis-labeling or substituting for cheaper ingredients all the way to using ingredients that harm consumers, or producing food in a way that abuses the workers. In this month's episode we talk with Alice Rizzuti, lecturer in criminology at the University of Hull - about the…
E2 · 18 Feb 2024 · 23 min
Ultra Local Organic Food
I think we all love the idea of locally grown organic food, freshly harvested and delivered to our door. But what does it take to make this happen. Is it scaleable; is it even viable. I took a tour of one of only a handful of local organic market gardens in our region. If you are interested in the case studies behind the podcast, you can find the original recordings at our youtube channel: Veg Cities Hull, or the edited write-ups on our website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
E1 · 17 Jan 2024 · 25 min
TasteEd
Feeding children well has benefits that are almost too numerous to count. But what if the children you are feeding lack the confidence or experience to try new foods. Taste Ed is a charity that offers a brilliant and effective solution. In this episode, I talk to Fran Box about what Taste Ed has to offer schools, community projects and families, to help their children develop a taste for good food. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About Eat the System

Eat the System is a English arts & books podcast from darren squires. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: darren squires
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 27 min
Latest episode: 23 Sep 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1726246587
Rights: darren squires

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