Why isn't Slow Food taking off faster?

Edible Snail
Edible snail, symbol of the Slow Food movement

Ironically it was the arrival of Rome's first McDonald's that spurred one man, Carlo Perini, to create an association called Slow Food in protest. This year will see them host "Terra Madre/Salone del Gusto", one of the biggest food events in the world, in Turin (October 23 to 27). Held every two years, it is a mix of small producers showcasing their products, chefs talking technique and taste and scientists discussing purity of growth. It definitely includes something for everyone plus, of course, wine and food tastings.

I first heard about it a few years ago when I was in Bra with some friends hunting white truffles. We stayed at the headquarters of Slow Food there and I was amazed by the level of passion for artisan produce. Quality and taste were treated scientifically - a fantastic thing for a chef to see.

Slow Food began about 20 years ago when farmers and foodies got together to promote and support traditional local production methods and to introduce them to an audience who wanted the same, pure, natural products. No growth enhancers, no steroids, no impurities, just old-style food, produced at the speed of Mother Nature. Without the support of Slow Food, many artisan producers, growers and fishermen, would have had to cease production and amazing flavour sensations would have been lost. Isn't this what many people say they want in Britain? Less air miles, more local produce?



Personally, I think this devotion to quality in food and wine could reach a bigger audience in the UK. It seems to me that there is already a wave of people here committed to the same principles as anti-fast-foodies all round the globe. It's not that the Slow Food movement isn't spreading but perhaps it needs to be a bit more dynamic in the UK to catch the public imagination.

Meanwhile, we'll be in Turin this year demonstrating the best of British ingredients, and on Saturday night, along with Angela Hartnett and Simon Gregory, my head chef at Boxwood, I'll be cooking dinner.

Maybe we'll see you there …