The harvest festival
Harvest festivals have been a central part of British culture in early autumn for generations, a celebration of the time of year when a great diversity of food is available. It can have religious connections, or simply a community that has gathered in the harvest safely. Whatever the basis, the true meanings of harvest festivals held up and down the land in early September, have now been largely lost.
In these days of supermarkets and agri-business, harvest festivals become less about local food than a collection of food from any source; less about celebrating the harvest than carrying on a tradition. We need to regain control of this festival and celebrate it for the important point in the calendar that it marks. In September the UK has the best possible diversity of local food available than at any other month of the year - meat, fish, grains, fruit, vegetables…it’s all there.
Whilst the evenings draw in, the quality of light improves, the hedgerows and trees start turning colour and a mellow air descends on the rural scene. A time for reflection and relaxation for many in the farming and growing community.
A few years ago I attended by far and away the best harvest festival I’ve ever been to. It was organised by ISEC and held on the Dartington Estate near Totnes, and was a truly local harvest festival. It featured about 20 local producers, all selling quality food, and in the middle of the square was a huge apple press where tonnes of local apples were being turned in to juice. On top of all this were some inspiring talks about the benefits of local food. The atmosphere was fantastic and it felt like a celebration with deep meaning and reverence for the local landscape, farmers and their land.
This shoudn’t be a rare occurrence, but sadly it is. Harvest festivals are an essential part of rural life and should not be bastardised by displays of food from foreign lands with no emphasis on local farming and growing.We need to reclaim the meaning of a festival of the local harvest and replicate festivals like the one held at Dartington time and time again, until it is re-woven in to the fabric of society.