WHAT IS FŌDA?

FŌDA a ‘Festival of Food Ideas’ taking place at the Arnolfini in Bristol this 26th & 27th September.

Bringing together industry professionals, leading experts, grassroots organisations and consumers, FŌDA will tackle some of the biggest issues facing food today, from health and regenerative farming to education.

The festival features an independent Food and Drink Producer Market along the waterfront, The Pony Farm Bus, exhibitions, workshops and panel discussions designed to inspire new thinking and meaningful connections.

On Saturday, the festival hosts its flagship Symposium, chaired by founder Josh Eggleton, food writer Xanthe Clay and entrepreneur Roger Saul. Through thought-provoking discussion and debate, leading voices from across the food system will explore the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of food.

On Sunday, visitors can enjoy a series of interviews and interactive masterclasses and The Sourdough Exchange, taking place across the Auditorium, Arnolfini and at The Fish Tank, Salt & Malt.

THE SYMPOSIUM

Our amazing panel of experts hosted by the brilliant Xanthe Clay, Josh Eggleton and Roger Saul - featured inspiring speakers, each sharing their ideas and stories.

“The Ground Beneath Everything”
This conversation examines soil as a living system what we’ve stripped from it, what regenerative farming can restore, and why the health of the ground beneath us is inseparable from the future of food itself.

“What We Take, What We Return”
A candid reckoning with how we use the ocean from overfishing to waste and what a shift from extraction to stewardship would actually look like. Equal parts practical and ethical, it asks what we owe back to the ecosystems that sustain us.

“The Space Between Us”
Loneliness is an increasingly urgent crisis. This panel explores whether the table can be part of the solution, examining how communal dining, grounded in genuine hospitality can rebuild connection and foster a sense of belonging. Alongside this, the discussion will share practical, real-world ways the table can become a quiet but powerful antidote to isolation

“Why Food Needs Trees”
A deep dive into agroforestry and why trees are fundamental infrastructure for food systems shaping soil health, water cycles, and even flavour. The conversation zooms out to examine how interdependence in nature mirrors what resilient food production actually requires.

Our Speaker Line Up

INTERVIEWS AND MASTERCLASSES

Join us on Sunday for a full programme of thought-provoking interviews and interactive masterclasses across a range of venues, including the Auditorium, Arnolfini and The Fish Tank, Salt & Malt.

Fermentation: Have they got a place at your table? - Dr Caroline Gilmartin PhD (Auditorium, The Arnolfini)
A Masterclass in Offal Butchery - HG Walter Butchery and Josh Eggleton (The Fish Tank, Salt and Malt)
The Evolution of Restaurants: An interview with Pete Sanchez, Gareth Ward & Josh Eggleton
Blood, Guts and Black Pudding - Book Talk & Tasting with Kate Ryan and Josh Eggleton (The Fish Tank, Salt and Malt)
Interview with George Lamb (Wild Farmed) hosted by Jenny Chandler (Auditorium, The Arnolfini)
Masterclass Wine Tasting with Palestinian Winemaker Anna Patrowicz (The Fish Tank, Salt and Malt)
Masterclass in Food Writing with Meg Houghton-Gilmour (The Fish Tank, Salt and Malt)
The Sourdough Exchange with Dr Vanessa Kimbell (Auditorium, The Arnolfini)

Please note that masterclasses in The Fish Tank (Salt and Malt) are limited capacity and is on a first come first served basis.

£30 ticket includes access to all interviews and masterclasses including breakfast from Yeo Valley

INTERVIEWS AND MASTERCLASSES

The Sourdough Exchange &

Talk with Dr Vanessa Kimbell

Discover the story of sourdough with Dr Vanessa Kimbell as she explores flavour, fermentation, biodiversity and wellbeing, followed by a unique community bread exchange and tasting.

£10 ticket for The Sourdough Exchange only

THE SOURDOUGH EXCHANGE AND TALK WITH DR VANESSA KIMBELL