Plot To Plate 2014

Every May, dozens of businesses and organisations welcome hundreds of visitors to the centre of Boroughbridge for the annual Plot to Plate festival. However, this popular event had humble origins, as we discovered…

In 2009, a handful of local people got together to find a site where they could create allotments for the people of Boroughbridge.
With support from Boroughbridge Town Council, the newly-formed Boroughbridge Allotment Society was soon creating 75 plots on a piece of land at Aldborough Gate and, in 2011, the first gardeners were digging, preparing and planting on their new allotments. A further 35 followed when the society leased a second piece of land.
However, despite the hard work that went into organising the project and getting the site up and running, they decided to take the project further. The members of Boroughbridge Allotment Society were keen to show their gratitude for the support they had received and cement their place at the heart of the community – so Plot to Plate was born.
Geoff Hustwit, one of the organisers, said: “Sometimes we’ve had events in Boroughbridge that people have tried to organise and it just hasn’t been well supported. We just thought, ‘Let’s try and create something new’.

“This will be our third year and it has got bigger every year. It does take us a year to organise it!”

The event aims to highlight the variety and quality of produce available in the Boroughbridge area, as well as bringing the community together to celebrate and support local growers, producers and related businesses. Naturally, as the event has grown and become more established since its launch in 2012, it has attracted more support and interest from the community. With just two successful events under their belts, the organisers of Plot to Plate are already noticing the difference in the response they get from the people they approach.
“The businesses on the High Street are very much on board now,” said Geoff. “When you can prove you’ve got an event that works and brings people in, it makes it easier for them to join in. In our first year, it was a struggle to persuade people that it was worth turning up and taking part.
“You get traditional commercial stalls that come back every year. They say they do better at smaller events than sometimes at the larger events. They have to spend a fairly significant amount for bigger events and then make up for it with more sales on the day, which is harder for them.”
As preparations are completed for the third annual Plot to Plate, on Saturday 10 May, it is clear the event this year will be the biggest yet. Dozens of local businesses will have stalls, from the town’s Greenwood Butchers with a hog roast and Baileys’ traditional sweets, to the likes of Porter’s Preserves and Voakes Pies – well known and respected names from across the district.
However, the emphasis is not on buying and selling. While the commercial stalls offer a fantastic array of goods and help the organisers to recoup some of the money they have spent setting the event up, what is more important to the allotment society is offering the right mix of attractions to create an event the entire community can enjoy.
“We not only have commercial stalls, but they’re mixed with local charity stalls,” said Geoff. “Whichever organisations are in Boroughbridge, they get their stalls free.
“It’s the one day of the year when it’s like a market of what there is to do in Boroughbridge. It is a food and country living festival, but part of that is the community side. We want people to get involved with things.
“If you can offer a way to get people to come for free and there are other attractions for them as well, it works and it’s good for the community groups too.”
Although the purpose and aims of Plot to Plate have remained the same, the range of attractions on offer has changed and expanded over its first few years. In 2013, one of the biggest developments was the introduction of a demonstration marquee, where experienced chefs, florists and other professionals shared their tips and advice with an enthusiastic audience. One of the highlights was Stephanie Moon, the renowned executive chef at Rudding Park, who will be back in 2014 and joined by other demonstrators including Andrew Wood from the University of York and Ladies in Pigs, a campaign group promoting the use of good quality, Red Tractor pork.

“Amateur bakers pit themselves against each other to be crowned the best in the town”

What surprises many people is that, although Plot to Plate attracts such an impressive line-up to its marquee, it does not pay for
its demonstrators.
“All our demonstrators haven’t charged us anything. It can cost so much for that,” said Geoff. “We’ve had people wanting a horrendous amount of money and we just can’t afford it. We aren’t that kind of event.
“It’s totally not-for-profit – sometimes it’s down to the last penny. It costs quite a lot to put on and we have to raise money to support it as we’re doing it, because we don’t charge entry.
“The commercial stalls pay to be there and we have some sponsorship as well.”
One of the sponsors this year is Boroughbridge Hardware, which is not only contributing to the Great Boroughbridge Bake Off, but is also organising the competition, which will see amateur bakers pit themselves against each other to be crowned the best in the town.
Meanwhile, the streets will once again be decorated with scarecrows as part of the annual competition, and there will be activities for children including a petting farm and the chance to try planting seeds to grow butterfly friendly plants at home.
Throughout the day, there will be performances by dance groups Medusa Gothic Morris and Clogarhythm, and the Boroughbridge High School Band, while Kirby Hill WI will be running the tea and cake marquee. A huge range of community groups will be using the day to meet the wider community and explain more about what they do for Boroughbridge, while raising money by selling cakes, plants, preserves, freshly-cooked pancakes and more.
Despite the scale of the event – which has expanded to cover St James’s Square this year – Geoff said the team behind it is still relatively small and extra volunteers are always welcome. “There’s a committee of seven running Plot to Plate. There aren’t that many involved in setting it up. We’re always looking for more help.”
Plot to Plate takes place on Saturday 10 May from 10.00 to 16.00 in locations around Boroughbridge town centre. For more information, visit www.boroughbridgeallotment.btck.co.uk/plottoplate2014.