Save the Date! - Heritage Open Days returns 6-15 September 2024

Edible East

Sorry, you missed this one!
Sun 19 Sep

Multiple days : The Forum

  • Disabled toilets
  • Toilets
  • Wheelchair access
  • Disabled parking
  • Parking
  • Refreshments

Millennium Plain, Norwich, NR2 1TF

Join a range of creative, food-themed workshops and activities for all ages from the Edible East community project.

Edible EastOpen
Fri 10 - Sun 19 Sep10am - 4pm

Many activities are free to drop-in to at The Forum, but please check individual listings below for pre-bookable workshops. 

To celebrate this year's national theme, born out of a collaboration between artists, scientists, horticulturalists and historians, the Edible East project encourages discussions around the future of our food.

Following the creation of a city-wide art trail inspired by world leading science stories from the Norwich Research Park, this exhibition brings together partners to run food-themed workshops and events for all ages to explore fascinating food facts from the past with creative activities linked to Norfolk Museums and local heritage gardens.


Fri 10 Sep:

11am - 3.30pm: Postbox thoughts with the Ministry Of Imagination.

Come an explore the giant forest garden and share your thoughts on climate change, the environment, sustainability and food poverty. Suitable for all ages. 


Sat 11 Sep:

10am - 4pm: Herbs For All

An opportunity to discover the common and wild herbs found on the forest garden floor. Join scientist Dr Rebecca Horn and artist Jacques Nimki to reveal the science and visual appeal of these aromatic plants. Through drawing, collage and colouring create your own special plant to decorate the forest mountain. Suitable for all ages.


10am - 12.15pm and 1.30pm - 3.45pm: Children print making workshop with Louise Maclaren

Come and learn print techniques with artist Louise Maclaren. Suitable for ages 5+.  


10am - 2pm: Sow and Grow with Blickling Estate

Join gardeners from Blickling Estate and sow and grow a broad bean to take home. Find out about our incredible, sustainable, no-dig approach in our walled garden. Explore how you can use cardboard and mulch to grow your own fruit, veg and flowers with no need for digging or weeding, whilst maintaining healthy and happy soils.

Sow and Grow with Blickling Estate

10.30am and 1.30pm: Medieval Parade from Hungate Church, Princes Street

Come and join Ann-Marie LeQuesne’s Procession! Hosted by Edible East with Hungate Medieval Art. There will be medieval costumes to wear, and music from Pearl In The Egg. Become part of a short art film and visit the Edible East Art/ Science Trail, exploring the Future of Food.

3.15pm - 4.15pm: Medieval Shadow Theatre

Join us at The Gallery in The Forum where Jennie Pedley will film the procession in silhouette.  All are welcome to watch and to follow the procession.



Sun 12 Sep:

10am - 4pm: Herbs For All

An opportunity to discover the common and wild herbs found on the forest garden floor. Join scientist Dr Rebecca Horn and artist Jacques Nimki to reveal the science and visual appeal of these aromatic plants. Through drawing, collage and colouring create your own special plant to decorate the forest mountain. Suitable for all ages.


10.30am - 3.30pm: Seedbombs with Rach Anstey-Sanders

Hold the future of food in your hand. Join Rach Anstey-Sanders to explore the potential of a handful of soil, or imagine the amazing variety of bacteria that live in your gut, helping you to digest your food. Suitable for all ages.


2pm - 4pm: Indian Dance With Viji

Join Viji Moorthie to unleash your ‘talking hands’ to explore story telling using Indian dance gestures. Suitable for all ages.


Mon 13 Sep:

10am - 2.30pm: Gelli plate planetscapes with Holly Sandiford

Join artist Holly Sandiford to create your own mini planetscapes. We will use natural materials such as moss and lichen on gelli printing plates (made using Petri dishes as moulds). Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary. All materials will be provided but you are welcome gather moss on lichen to use if you like.


10am - 4pm: Sustainable Living Initiative - Growing Food and Natural dyes

Learn about sustainable gardening techniques and making natural dyes. Try making some newspaper pots, sowing seeds, natural dye prints.


3pm - 4.30pm: Sculpture the microscopic world with Hannalore Baxter

Come and explore the habitats that lie beneath our feet deep below ground. Learn about the importance of soil biodiversity in growing food and some of the things that are threatening this important eco system.

Meet some of the microscopic creatures, fungi, algae and protozoa that help make soil healthy and fertile and make wire and plaster sculptures inspired by them to add to our Forest Garden artwork! Suitable for all ages.


Tue 14 Sep:

10.30am  - 2.30pm: Art drop in with Rach Anstey-Sanders

Join Rach Anstey-Sanders to explore the amazing variety of microbes that live in the soil.  Learn needle felting to make some spore chains for the forest garden sculpture!  Suitable for ages 5+


10am - 4pm: Sustainable Living Initiative - Orchard and fruit bushes

Learn about the trees and fruits bushes grown at Marlpit community garden. Hear the stories behind some heritage vegetables and fruit trees.    


10am - 4.30pm: Printmaking workshop with Louise Maclaren. PRE-BOOK ONLY

Using images of WWII and vintage vegetable seed packets as an inspiration for designs, book a free place to come and learn linocut printing techniques with artist Louise Maclaren to create your own hand printed seed packets. Adults & young people welcome. Intermediate experience beneficial but not essential.  

Pre-book via Email: [email protected] or phone: 07493297303

 

Wed 15 Sep:

10am - 4pm: Sustainable Living Initiative - Forest Gardening and honey making

Find out about the forest garden and apiary at Marlpit Community Garden. Learn about our bees and how we make our own honey!


2pm - 4pm: Mini Shadow Theatres with Jennie Pedley

Draw stories of food, the secrets of the earth, animate underground life on small sliding panels and film the using your phone. Suitable for all ages.


Thu 16 Sep:

10.30am - 2.30pm: Draw a Tree, Make a Forest with Chris Hann

Come and draw a tree using paper and a wooden kebab stick (both made from trees). Your drawing will become part of the Forest display. Suitable for all ages.


3pm - 4.30pm: Sculpture the microscopic world with Hannalore Baxter

Come and explore the habitats that lie beneath our feet deep below ground. Learn about the importance of soil biodiversity in growing food and some of the things that are threatening this important eco system.

 Meet some of the microscopic creatures, fungi, algae and protozoa that help make soil healthy and fertile and make wire and plaster sculptures inspired by them to add to our Forest Garden artwork! Suitable for all ages.


Fri 17 Sep:

10am - 4pm: Sustainable Living Initiative - Forest Gardening and honey making

Find out about the forest garden and apiary at Marlpit Community Garden. Learn about our bees and how we make our own honey!


12pm - 12.30pm: Forest Gardening talk with Nik Thomson

A brief guide to the ecology and principles of Forest Gardening including such issues as sustainability, climate change, biological pest control. This session will include a demonstration of how you can use the principles of forest gardening even if you don’t have a forest, or indeed a garden!


2pm - 4pm: Indian Dance With Viji and Shadow Theatre with Jennie Pedley

Join Viji Moorthie and Jennie Pedley to unleash your ‘talking hands’ to explore story telling using Indian dance gestures combined with Shadow Theatre. Suitable for all ages.


Sat 18 Sep: 

10am - 3pm: Do you grow, can you grow?

A fun session with horticulturalist Nik Thomson exploring where your plant based food comes from and how you can grow your own food wherever you are, you don’t even need a garden.

With a challenge to grow (some of) your Christmas dinner, oh yes you can! Suitable for all ages


10am - 4pm: The Future Food Game Stall from the Ministry Of Imagination

These light-hearted drop-In sessions treat everyone as a ‘Future Food Scientist’ helping to change the world by learning about healthy eating choices and the wider issues around food sustainability.

Using quizzes and games these sessions are suitable for all ages. 


10.30am - 3.30pm: Felt microbes with Rach Anstey-Sanders

Join Rach Anstey-Sanders to have a go at felt-making to explore the amazing variety of bacteria that live in your gut, helping you to digest your food. Suitable for all ages.


Sun 19 Sep:

10am - 3pm: Do you grow, can you grow?

A fun session with horticulturalist Nik Thomson exploring where your plant based food comes from and how you can grow your own food wherever you are, you don’t even need a garden.

With a challenge to grow (some of) your Christmas dinner, oh yes you can! Suitable for all ages


Throughout the festival 

Chris Jackson's Forest Garden

Come to The Forum to see a giant cardboard sculpture created by artist Chris Jackson, inspired by the principal stages in the ecology of a forest garden.  This provides the centre piece for a host of creative activities taking place over the week where the public are invited to join and make further items to grow this forest garden together as a community.


New plants for England - Film in The Gallery Reception at The Forum (apart from Tue 14 & Thu 16 Sep)

Using illustrations from the John Innes Historical Collections, the film tells the story of the arrival of new foods to this country. We begin with the sugar and spice trade, and move through the age of discovery to focus on some of the plants brought back to Europe from newly discovered South America. From exotic plants like the pineapple, to a transformation in our starchy staple foods, including maize and the potato, for centuries plant hunting has transformed the diets of ordinary people. We explore this history and show how the John Innes Centre has contributed to this story, and how the Centre is preserving the biodiversity of key food crops today.

John Innes Centre film - John Gerard’s 1636 Herball

British Sign Language interpretation will be available for events at set times.  

Supported by


Organiser details: Edible East