Our last regenerative agriculture event was such a success last year – we’re bringing it back!

With what we hope will be an engaging schedule of panel talks, discussions, and dinners, our goal is to further educate ourselves and all those who want to learn about the challenges facing our food system and how we can do our part to positively contribute to the future of food in the UK.

Regen Action will span across three days in January, Tuesday 24th to Thursday 26th.

We welcome a line up of expert voices to host a series of talks for anyone who is interested in understanding more about regenerative farming and how to make better, more informed food choices. The speakers are true pioneers in their field, who have dedicated their lives to making a change and who are working strenuously towards a more sustainable and soil-conscious food system for our future.

The events will be an open environment, encouraging anyone, whether part of the industry or not, to join the discussion, ask questions and learn about something that affects us all, everyday.

Each discussion will be pegged to a relevant and topical issue and each talk will be followed by a dinner curated in collaboration with suppliers using the sustainable practices discussed. This year’s themes include Organic and Regenerative Farming; Making Regenerative Food Available to All and Regenerative Farming and Climate Change. With Burns Night on the 25th January, The Duke of Cambridge’s yearly traditional dinner will be supplied by the Ethical Butcher’s regeneratively farmed meat and Hodmedods sustainably produced British pulses & grains in support of the event.

This year, we’re excited to present:

Tuesday, 24th January: ‘Organic and Regenerative Farming’, hosted by Lizzie Rivera, journalist and founder of Live Frankly 

– Clare Hill, Director of Farming Operations at New Foundation Farms – a regenerative agrifood enterprise that builds soil vitality, works with nature to support biodiversity, produces nutrient dense food and supports its neighbouring rural communities.

– Peter Greig, Founder of Pipers Farm – an online retailer specialising in sustainably sourced meat, seafood & dairy products. Peter Greig’s mission has remained unchanged for the past 30 years – to connect trusted, ethical producers with consumers to make wholesome natural food, that has been grown with respect for nature, easily accessible. 

– Guy Singh-Watson, Founder of Riverford – an online retailer specialising in organic fruit & vegetables and placing big emphasis on pioneering eco-friendly packaging options and employee-ownership. Founder and self proclaimed veg nerd, Singh-Watson’s goal with Riverford was to make organic produce accessible to all. He built Riverford to give a fair deal to everyone involved in the food system – growers, staff, customers and the planet.

Followed by a talk from Jake Fiennes – “Making space for nature in a regenerative farming system” 

Jake is the conservation manager at Holkham in Norfolk, one of the country’s largest historic country estates, Fiennes’ goal is that of habitat restoration, to reclaim our traditions in order to return the English countryside to its wild state and in turn recreate the balance of nature that is necessary to save our shared feature. 

Followed by a dinner at The Culpeper

Wednesday, 25th January: ‘Making Regenerative Available To All’, hosted by Patrick Holden, Chief Executive of the Sustainable Food Trust 

– Glen Burrows, founder of The Ethical Butcher – was vegetarian for 25 years before founding the business. He coined the phrase ‘Regenuary’ via a Facebook post that received over one million impressions in January 2020 has since then been driving the movement and will be showing how the conversation has evolved year on year. 

– Josiah Meldrum, co-founder of Hodmedods – an independent business sourcing and supplying sustainably & British grown beans and pulses.

– Teri Clayton, co-founder of My Biome Box – a hyper seasonal veg box with sustainably and naturally grown produce from small, independent growers aiming to restore biodiversity and restore the health of our soil. 

Followed by a special preview of the film Six Inches of Soil, presented by Producer Claire Mackenzie. Six Inches of Soil is a documentary feature film which tells the inspiring story of British farmers standing up against the industrial food system and transforming the way they produce food – to heal the soil, benefit our health and provide for local communities. 

Six Inches of Soil will be released at Groundswell 2023. 

Followed by a Regenerative Burns Night Supplier Dinner at The Duke of Cambridge, in collaboration with The Ethical Butcher and Hodmedod’s. 

Thursday, 26th January: ‘Regenerative Farming and Climate Change’, hosted by Julianne Cailloutte Noble, Managing Director of The Sustainable Restaurant Association 

– Pete Thompson, managing director at Thompson’s Farm – a family farm in North Essex that aims to farm sensitively and sustainably, protecting the soil and encouraging wildlife to thrive on their land.

– Ben Walgate, managing director at Tillingham Wines – British winemakers championing ancient traditions. They farm in a diverse, poly-cultural way as it not only reflects a highly sustainable approach, but in conjunction with biodynamics, aims to restore soils to an optimum level of organic matter and microbial and wider ecological diversity.

– Tim Martin, co-founder of Farm Wilder – aiming to build a truly wildlife friendly food system.  

Followed by a final dinner hosted at The Duke of Cambridge in collaboration with Eco-Chef Tom Hunt.

Guardian columnist & author of Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet, Tom Hunt has been working in the food industry for over 20 years. Hunt was a key part of the team at River Cottage HQ whilst it was being created. And more recently he contributed to chef Dan Barber’s WastED event in 2017 and did a stagier at Rene Redzepi’s restaurant Noma 2.0 in Copenhagen in 2018. All three chef’s are a strong influence on Hunt’s cuisine, which can be experienced through the nature-focused food, utilising a similar quality of ingredients. Hunt’s food is often served on sharing plates with a focus on community, both around the table and through the food web which connects us to nature and people around the world.

Talks are £5 and redeemable for a drink of choice, and the dinners are £45.

Press: for more information and imagery, please contact gabrielle.brown@eightyfour.me