WHAT IS IT

Led by food and farming charity Sustain in partnership with the wider Peas Please initiative, Veg Cities works with local authorities, food groups and organisations to increase the availability and consumption of vegetables.

In 2018/19, Cambridge Sustainable Food brought the campaign to the city, working with the City Council, local community groups and businesses to spread the joy of veg!

MISSION

To increase the amount of veg we grow, cook and eat in Cambridge to improve health, reduce our impact on climate change and support the local economy through:

• Increasing public awareness of the positive environmental and economic impacts of choosing locally grown and seasonal veg

• Enabling individuals and families to buy, prepare and cook more vegetables

• Increasing the amount of veg-based food served and sold by businesses.

• Helping people and organisations grow their own.

WHAT WE ARE DOING

We celebrated veg through community gardening sessions as part of the Big Dig Day and ran a Veg Pledge online and at community events like Chesterton Festival. We ran veg prep sessions for local families as part of Holiday Lunches and veg chopping workshops at a special Kids’ Disco Soup in Eddington!

We were also pleased to work with Cambs Cuisine on their ‘Kids Veg Out’ campaign, which saw the restaurant group introduce new childrens’ menus to include at least two portions of veg per meal. The new menus are expected to result in an additional 1,200-1,600 portions of vegetables a year being served in the group’s restaurants.

In July 2019, we ran the Cambridge Vegetable Festival, a city-wide celebration of local and seasonal vegetables and finale to the campaign, bringing people together to grow, cook, eat and enjoy delicious veg. Working with over 40 partners, the action-packed week attracted over 3,300 people and featured a free town meal, pop-up farmers’ market, geocache vegetable treasure hunt, local celebrity chefs’ cookery tour of the city’s allotments, a veggie recipe competition and more!

RESOURCES

Find out more about the wonder of veg on the official Veg Cities website or check out the resources below to help put your pledge into action!

Two Veg Meals: some recipe inspiration! Hidden veg shepherd’s pie Hidden veg pasta sauce Cauliflower & leek macaroni cheese Chestnut & cranberry nut roast Kale, beetroot & orange salad Courgette & lemon drizzle cake Sticky ginger & beetroot muffins Butternut squash & pumpkin seed cake

Eat the Rainbow Guide and Eatwell Guide

Get green-fingered and grow your own

Eat the seasons: find out how here!

Find local, independent veg retailers through our Sustainable Food Directory

The Pledge

Anyone can make a pledge to grow, cook, eat, serve or sell more veg. We want as many individuals, families, households, community groups, schools, businesses and organisations as possible to be involved in growing, cooking and eating more delicious veg.

Make your Veg Pledge below and post photos of your pledge in action on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #VegCitiesCambridge!