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 Producer Village 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 thought-provoking interviews and interactive masterclasses and The Sourdough Exchange, taking place across the Auditorium, Arnolfini, The Fish Tank and 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

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.

THE SOURDOUGH EXCHANGE AND TALK WITH DR VANESSA KIMBELL