Liverpool’s Food Culture – Have We Got One?

Last autumn, Feeding Liverpool supported Engage Liverpool CIC to deliver three seminars exploring Liverpool’s food culture.

The series followed the 2025 Good Food Summit, which identified several priorities for the Food Alliance as we continue to develop Liverpool’s Good Food Plan. ‘Liverpool’s Food Culture – Have We Got One?‘ addressed many of these priorities:

  • Creating opportunities for communities to participate in the Food Alliance
  • Making healthy food an easy choice for all
  • Working with food businesses to develop a good food economy
  • Embedding sustainable practicies in the local food system and championing organisations leading the way

 

Seminar One: The Food System in the UK – How Good is It?

The first seminar featured a keynote from Sheila Dillon, renowed food journalist and presenter of The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4. Sheila offered a bold, candid assessment of the Uk food system, taking a macro view of its current challenges.

She highlighted deep concerns about the ruthlessness of the system – a concern that we share. A food system should centre people; those who both grow and produce food, and those who eat it. Food is a universal need, but it also has the capacity to nourish, bring joy and connect people. At present, the conventional supply chain is extractive, profit-driven and problematic.

All food costs money to produce and, therefore, it does have a monetary value. The value of food, however, stretches beyond profit. Food shapes our physical and mental health, sleep, learning, work and relationships – meaning that we need a system that recognises food as a driver of social change, not simply a commodity. Sheila articulated this point brilliantly when pointing to the cheapest price model – a legacy of Margaret Thatcher’s approach to food policy – which features ruthless efficency, free market competition and cheaper food for ‘consumers’. A small number of businesses now hold immense power, claiming to act in the interests of their customers. But cheap food always comes at a cost. The question is: who pays?

The answer is public health, the environment and farmers.

We need a food system that is fair, equitable and supports improved health. We need to work together – locally and nationally – to create viable alternatives to a supermarket-centric, profit-driven model that harms agricultural businesses, local economies and communities.

 

Seminar Two: Farm to Fork – Is our Food Journey Sustainable? 

The second seminar focused on sustainability, with a keynote from Helen Woodcock and Chris Walsh of Kindling Farm – a 77-acre agroecological farm in Knowsley.

Helen and Chris spoke about purchasing the farm through a community share scheme, their long-term vision and the progress they have made since securing the land in 2023. Excitingly, the farm has now begun producing food, and 2026 marks its second full growing season. We are delighted to have Kindling Farm in our region and look forward to seeing more of their produce reaching local tables.

Chris also provided evidence to the What Works Here Inquiry – this will inform the UK Food Strategy – and hosted the Citizen Advisory Council at the farm to discuss future plans and the challenges of producing food in the current climate. Both events left us optimistic and grateful to have Kindling Farm nearby, but also aware of our responsibility to support the introduction of their produce into the city and to the realisation of their wider vision. We will continue working with Chris, Helen and the team to establish clear pathways for their food into Liverpool.

The seminar’s panel included Daniel Heffy, Executive Chef at Graffiti Spirits Group; Sally-Anne Watkiss, Chair of Homebaked Anfield; and Jens Thomas, Technical Director at Farm Urban. Each shared their perspectives on producing and procuring food and the impact of supporting local, sustainable and independent producers. One message came through clearly: strengthening the local food economy brings far greater long-term benefits than buying solely on price.

We left the seminar with a vivid sense of what Liverpool’s food system could be, inspired by the panel’s passion and commitment. The questions from attendees, however, were a sobering reminder that the possibilities we were discussing simply do not exist for many people in Liverpool and across the UK. The gap between potential and reality is stark, underscoring one thing: we have work to do.

 

Seminar Three: Food Home and Away – Are we Making the Best Decisions?

The final seminar was delivered by Lucy Antal of Alchemic Kitchen, who operate several projects across the Liverpool City Region, including the Queen of Greens mobile greengrocer. Having worked with Lucy for years, her messages were familar to us but no less vital. Our current food system is creating and deepening inequality, as well as damaging our planet. This means that the choices made by organisations, and by citizens, matter.

Lucy emphasised the importance of valuing social impact alongside economic impact, reminding us that food spaces are social spaces and that communities have been hollowed out by efficiency-driven, profit-centred approaches. She shared the story of a regular Queen of Greens customer – a single parent who said that their weekly visit to the bus was often their only chance to speak to another adult. Further, Lucy often notes that in parts of our city, it is easier to buy a vape than an apply. Sadly, she is right.

These two anecdotes are a stark indictment of our food culture.

They reinforce the vital role played by community food spaces and value-driven businesses like the Queen of Greens; they provide a connection to others, to local identity and to the meaning and origins of our food. These spaces help build food environments shaped around community needs and aspirations – not only in terms of culturally-appropiate and nutritious food, but also in regards to dignity, social connection and a sense of place.

Lucy also encouraged us to re-think how we talk about funding and investment. Funding often implies short-term, stop-gap support. Investment, by contrast, recognises the long-term value of socially-centred food enterprises and the future benefits they generate – from improved health to better educational outcomes. If we truly invest in organisations delivering social value and food equity, we give them the stability and recognition needed to compete with the corporate, profit-focused food system operators that currently dominate.

Fittingly, Lucy ended the seminar series with a call to action: to recognise and act on our collective responsibility to create the change that we want to see. We know that opportunities to participate are not equal, which is why we remain committed to supporting communities to actively engage in shaping the local food system and drive the change we all want.

 

Final Thoughts

One of Sheila Dillion’s reflections that remains poignant is her description of the power of a ‘web’ of good businesses. It makes us think about Liverpool’s Food Alliance and our role in strengthening the connections between people committed to good food. When those connections stretch across our city and link into similar efforts around the country, they form a resilient web: diverse, interdependent and far stronger than any single strand. That collective strength matters; if we work together, locally and nationally, we can build a food system where everyone has access to good food.

Engage Liverpool asked participants across the three seminars: what one action would you like to see to improve Liverpool’s food culture?

Their responses reflect four key themes:

  • Make fresh, local food easier for everyone to access
  • Create regular, affordable food markets across the city
  • Support better food knowledge and better food for children
  • Support local food businesses and improve food options in the city

All of these themes align with the aims of Liverpool’s Good Food Alliance and we welcome further participation from communities and organisations across the city to work towards achieving them.

If you would like to work with us to develop and deliver actions relating to Liverpool’s Good Food Plan and the themes set out in Engage Liverpool’s Evaluation Report, please contact us: