A sustainable approach to festive food traditions at the Science Museum Lates
The Science Museum’s Lates invites adults to visit the museum after-hours and partake in events and activities centred around science-related subjects. Birkbeck’s Environmental Education Team were enthusiastic to partake in the Science Museum’s first ever festive edition of Lates, sparking the imaginations of visitors as we explored the ways climate change and sustainability challenges could reshape festive food traditions in our drop-in session, ‘Festive Feasts of the Future’.
During the course of the evening at Lates, over 100 attendees played ‘Festive Feasts of the Future’, a fun, engaging and thought-provoking game created especially for the event by Dr Aideen Foley.
Rethinking festive recipes
Choosing from ingredients such as sea buckthorn (a drought- and salinity-resistant plant), dandelion (an edible ‘weed’), lentils (which improve soil health with their nitrogen-fixing capabilities) and insect protein (which requires less resources than livestock), visitors were challenged to create or reinvent a festive recipe using their selected ingredients. ‘Cockroaches Au Vin’ and ‘Buckthorn Berry Pie’ and dandelion and dried fruit ‘Pudding Balls’ were just some of the creations visitors documented on their recipe cards.
The Birkbeck team, including Dr Aideen Foley and Dr Dale Mineshima-Lowe, and student ambassadors Angel Mitchell, Raphael Sander and Peter Smart, were on hand to explain and encourage players.
Open-mindedness to sustainable ingredients
The game generated lively and thoughtful discussion about the impact of climate change on food systems. A lot of players were already familiar with ingredients like sweet potatoes and lentils, and enjoyed getting to learn more about them. Many visitors admitted they'd be up for trying insect protein, as long as it was processed in a way that they wouldn't realise the reality of what they were eating, which serves as a reminder for just how much our individual feelings and perceptions can influence our food choices.
The Environmental Education Team at Birkbeck strive to regularly participate in events like Lates to encourage sustainable thinking and raise awareness for the small changes that could have a positive impact on the environment. If you’re interested in collaborating on similar projects or events, please reach out to Birkbeck’s Environmental Education Team.
As part of our mission to widely share this sustainable thinking, a printable version of the game, which can be played all year round, not just during the festive period, is available for educators. Contact Dr Aideen Foley to learn more and request access to the game.
