Food swap

Apart from diversifying their larders and redistributing surpluses and gluts, they provide opportunities for building stronger communities, and picking up tips.

Often attendees bring extra items either as free samples or as contributions to a potluck lunch or tea, so that there is more time to get to know each other, exchange gossip and pass on tips.

Food has been swapped and traded since prehistoric times, from cacao beans to spices, fresh-killed meat to foraged berries.

[1] The Food Swap Network started in Brooklyn, New York in 2010,[2] and 125 groups have been established across the US and Canada, as well as in Europe including the UK.

[3] 'Apples for Eggs' has 159 registered swappers and organises events in York, Ormskirk, Henley, Stoke, and Brampton in Cumbria.

While attendees kitchens are unlikely to be certified nut-free or have Food Standards Agency guarantees of cleanliness,[5] swappers may be asked to specify ingredients, whether an item can be considered vegetarian or vegan, storage instructions, and a suggested use-by date, all based on trust and judgement.

Swappers cruise the room, noting their interest by filling in bid cards at the different stands before the big exchange starts.

"[1] She added to The Telegraph, "There’s something very bonding about exchanging goods with someone you haven’t met before, and when you meet them again, you feel you’ve made a lasting connection.