Introducing Newnham College this International Women’s Day
- By Sonya Meagor
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- 06 Mar, 2018
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For International Women’s Day I wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate the wonderful females that eco cuisine does business with. There are so many, from suppliers to clients and they are all fantastic.
In this blog post, I thought what better time would there be to highlight a fantastic female-only organisation I cater for…. Newnham College. It is a female only constituent college of the Uni of Cambridge and was the second Cambridge College ever to admit women.
The college was founded in 1871 by Henry Sidgwick as a response to a need for female student’s lodgings. It began as a house in which young women could reside while attending lectures in Cambridge, long before they were allowed to become full members of the university, with the granting of degrees to women in 1948. The college was actively encouraged and helped to grow by the famous women’s suffrage campaigner Millicent Garrett Fawcett.
It is quite amazing to read how it all started – if you’re interested you can read it here and it is so encouraging to learn about how it all started at a time when women were not encouraged in education and were not granted degrees and where we are now……..there’s still plenty to improve on in terms of equality of course, but it is progress……….
Alumnae of the college include people like Emma Thompson, Clare Balding and Dianne Abbot! As I understand it the more senior women in age basically meet the younger graduates at events and can mentor and advise them with their career choices / progression. Recently they were speaking about life after work and how it might affect you when you’ve had a busy career – shows how old the senior alumnae are these days.
So, you may be wondering how eco cuisine fit into this? The person who found eco cuisine was a Newnham alumna the Chief Exec of Brightside Uniaid, a charity based at the old CAN Mezzanine, 1 London Bridge. Our first event for Newnham alunae was September 2010 at One London Bridge.
They always have canapés and drinks service – venues have included a
private house on Highgate Hill, another private house in Canonbury, the
Freud Museum Hampstead, Allies and Morrison Architects, Southwark, and
most recently the new London school of Arts building in Kings Cross.
………..and they do like a glass of prosecco and enjoy my organic wines…..
The menu from January was rare beef fillet and mustard mayo, mini duck
rolls with black cherry jam, salmon with beetroot and horseradish cream,
spinach and feta filos, bruschetta with black olive tapenade, mini
chocolate brownies.
Not only do we thoroughly enjoy catering for alumnae of Newnham College, we are so proud to be able to call them a client. Everything they have done to pioneer women’s educational rights in Cambridge and to set an example for equality to others is really inspiring.
Thank-you to Newnham College Alumnae for using our services and thank you to all the women and men we work with that are in alignment with our values of sustainability and also equality for all!
The Millfield theatre is home to eco cuisine and the events have been held here too for that reason.
OLIO (the food app) and NLWA (North London Waste Authority) CROPDROP (local Haringey boxed fruit/vegetable scheme) plus our very own Sonya Meagor (eco cuisine) are confirmed as our first speakers and we're For each event, we support a North London based charity related to the event theme - for this event we're delighted to collaborate with The Felix Project .
TICKETS
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sustainable-food-packaging-tickets-61490383392?aff=website
With less than two weeks until Christmas and the holidays nearly upon us, the shops are stocked with delicious festive treats and people are already stocking up on Christmas food fit for a feast or two.
But, just because it is Christmas doesn’t mean we should not consider what is in season and keeping sustainability at the forefront of our minds.
So, what is in season over December and the winter seasons in Britain? Well, thankfully many of the Christmas time favourites are favourites for a reason – they’re traditionally easily grown and sourced in the U.K. over winter. Cabbage, sprouts, potatoes and onions, celeriac, celery and carrots as well as parsnip and swede are all in season this time of year. Not forgetting chestnuts, beef and venison and even guinea fowl too.
So roast dinners with all the trimmings can be environmentally friendly! Of course clementines, pomegranates and dates are seasonal favourites too and these are obviously not sourced locally.
Whatever you buy and eat over the festive season, remember to consciously consume – making informed and conscious decisions about what you buy and eat.
In the lead-up to the Christmas break we enjoy hearty, warming foods, keeping us warm in the cold weather and suitably fuelled over this busy season.
We enjoy Rumbledethumps – for those who haven’t heard of it, it is the Scottish equivalent of bubble and squeak as it is often made with leftovers, though it isn’t usually fried. It is a lovely filling dish served as a side or when served with a nice piece of fish or chicken breast can even be a substantial main meal.
Rumbledethumps
550g large potatoes,
350g swede
60g unsalted butter
250g kale, finely sliced
1 small onion diced
Sprigs of thyme
25g cheddar cheese, grated
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Peel and chop the potatoes and the swede and chop into large chunks. Next, boil in a saucepan tender. Drain and return to the pan.
Heat three quarters of the butter in a pan on medium low heat and cook the kale and the onions for a few minutes, until the kale is tender and onions lightly browned.
Add the kale and onions to the pan with the potatoes and swede then add the remaining butter and mash together. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place the mashed medley into an ovenproof dish and top with the cheese. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes, or until piping hot and golden-brown on top. Serve with fresh thyme.
What winter dishes keep you going in the lead-up to the Christmas break? Let us know in the comments.
