Discover Eating Green At Paignton Zoo During Green Week

By Philip Knowling

Paignton, UK - Young people will be serving up suggestions on how to be environmentally-friendly in the kitchen at the Green Solutions Festival.

The free festival, at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, runs from Tuesday 28th to Thursday 30th October, during half term.

On the opening day, between 12:00 midday and 3:30pm, four Catering and Hospitality students and two lecturers from South Devon College will be giving free cookery demonstrations and providing advice on what to do with food waste.

The afternoon sessions - taking place on the hour and lasting half an hour – will be in the Activity Tent in the Zoo’s overflow car park and are free to attend. The students will be using a mobile kitchen provided by Castles Kitchens of Plymouth.

The students plan to make one hot and one cold dish using local, seasonal ingredients as far as possible. Visitors will get the chance to sample dishes.

Paignton Zoo Marketing Manager Vicki Barnes said: “We want to show what great dishes can be prepared with local, seasonal food. If you choose fresh local food you are choosing the healthy option both for yourself and for the environment.”

The students will also give tips on good kitchen practice and what to do with leftovers, in support of Devon County Council’s campaign of ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’. The food is being supplied by Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust’s Occombe Farm.

Helen Marshall, Section Head Catering, Hospitality and Tourism, said: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to showcase our students’ culinary skills using local produce and demonstrate how we can all contribute to  creating our own Green Solutions”.
 
Names attending the Green Solutions Festival include Devon County Council, Devon Wildlife Trust, the Met Office, the Environment Agency, Dartmoor National Park and a range of businesses offering green products and services. For more information go to www.paigntonzoo.org.uk or ring (01803) 697500.

Paignton Zoo is a member of the British & Irish Association of Zoos & Aquariums (BIAZA). BIAZA represents its member collections and promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums. For further information please telephone 020 7449 6351.