Food | Low Carbon West Oxford

Food is the first area of action in our 2019 ‘5 things we can all start doing right now’ campaign (currently being updated to cover 7 areas), launched in response to the latest IPCC report in autumn 2018. Food is responsible for a quarter of global carbon emissions, and animal products for over half of those.

LCWO promotes the production and consumption of sustainable sources of food, including local food, and in line with IPCC recommendations, is supporting West Oxford residents to seriously reduce or eliminate meat and dairy from their diets.

Our food work:

West Oxford Apple Juice

Thank you to everyone who donated apples to our own community apple juice in 2020 and 2021! It is very pleasing to produce delicious juice from apples that might have otherwise gone to waste.

We are collecting apples for our 2023 blend – find out more here!

You can order your bottles now here from our online shop, and Hugo will jump on his bike to bring them your way. You can also pick up a bottle from Tumbling Bay Cafe at WOCA while stocks last!

Cookery classes at West Oxford Community Primary School

Though this pilot was rudely interrupted by COVID-19, children in Year 5 at West Oxford Community Primary this past year have been part of the first half of school cook Ruth Lyster’s new cookery class for kids. Whilst lockdown means continuation of the project was not possible this year, we are crossing fingers that Ruth will be able to continue her brilliant work in the next academic year, equipping children with essential skills. Read more here.

Beet the Waste festival

2020 UPDATE: The third Beet the Waste has been derailed by the Coronavirus, but we hope to have another opportunity for food-based fun in 2021, so watch this space.

LCWO hosted its first ‘Beet the Waste food & music festival’ at the Tap Social in autumn 2017, as part of our 10 year anniversary celebrations. The event proved very popular, and has since become an annual date on the West Oxford calendar, running for the second time in September 2018. The afternoon is run in partnership with the Oxford Food Bank, Waste2Taste and a range of other local partners, and takes place at the fab Tap Social. As well as tasty food stalls, food bank tours and information galore, there is an annual cake competition (the first year, veg-based, the second year, for best vegan cake), live Ready, Steady, Cook competition with local chefs battling out using ingredients which would have otherwise gone to waste, live music, and of course, delicious beer from Tap Social.

If you’d like to join the team of volunteers that makes Beet the Waste happen, please do get in touch!

Keeping our supermarkets on track

In 2019, we wrote a letter to our local supermarkets to check up on their progress in reducing their carbon emissions, following our ‘How Green is your supermarket’ event in 2015.

Find out more and read the letter here: How do you market meat and how about a plastic-free zone? Our new letter to local supermarkets

In 2020, we are designing and implementing a business scorecard for West Oxford businesses; the first round will not include any supermarkets, but if the trial is successful, we hope to include supermarkets in round 2.

Jam Jar Bank at Hogacre

We set up a Jam Jar Bank to encourage people to reuse their jam jars and make jams and chutneys. The bank is now housed at Hogacre Common Eco-Park – pop by and help yourself – and whilst you’re there, grab some delicious food at the seasonal caf, open on Sundays through the summer.

Seasonal recipes and more

We have a small collection of seasonal recipes on our website, and also share recipes on the blog and in our monthly newsletters.

LCWO produced a 2009 awareness-raising calendar featuring pictures of fruit and vegetable from the West Oxford allotments, with seasonal recipes. The photos and recipes were donated by local residents and money raised went towards supporting LCWO local environmental projects. The calendar sold out and made a small profit.