From Surplus Food to Six Course 'Slow Food' Feasting. The Hungry Guy Interview: Cooking with Conscience

"There's such a natural overlap between Ludlow Food Festival and Slow Food; it's a match made in heaven."

Q: How long have you been involved with Ludlow Food Festival and Slow Food?

A: I’ve been The Hungry Guy for 4½ years now.  After starting up with a mission to focus on local, sustainable produce and help people make better food choices for themselves, the local economy and the environment, I soon stumbled across the work Slow Food were doing and I was completely blown away.  There's such a natural overlap between Ludlow Food Festival and Slow Food - it's a match made in heaven.  While being a long time follower and admirer of Ludlow Food Festival, 2023 year was the first year that I actually made it there.  What a way to christen my first visit with having the honour of also cooking the first Slow Food Feast?!  I can't remember feeling more at home more quickly at any festival I have ever visited or worked at.  It oozes everything thats wonderful about food; it gives you an itch nowhere else can scratch! It’s unique: The people, the atmosphere, the food, it's just perfect and has become the first thing I clear in my diary every year!

 Q: You were Education Officer for Slow Food, and awarded Slow Food England Person of the Year 2023, followed by Slow Food England Cook of the Year 2024. What did that mean to you?

A: I’m still a little lost for words when it comes to being named Slow Food England Person of The Year and then Cook of the Year. I’ve never approached work with even a consideration that I might win an award, let alone awards of these magnitude; so to be recognised for the work I have done is extremely rewarding to me.  It’s so very humbling at the same time.  There are so many people out there doing amazing things, so to be recognised amongst them is a wonderful feeling and something that has driven me to do more and really pushed me on this year.  It's given me a huge amount of confidence!

Q: What does your role as Education Officer involve?

A: The role is all about engaging the community.  It’s about awareness and raising awareness of food systems and making local, sustainably produced food more available to everyone.  That’s the real undertone to what I do.  Everyone deserves to eat and everyone deserves to eat good food.  It’s not about be preachy or making people feel guilty about the food choices they make, but it’s more about getting people the information they need to make a considered food choices.  Food education has dropped off the school curriculum and is largely non-existent, so engaging schools and school kids is such an important part of the role.  We have to keep relaying the message over and over to the next generation so they grow up with an abillity and awareness to make considered and balanced food choices.  Having said that, instigating current change sits largely with the grown ups, they have the money and the power to change eating and buying habits - so really it’s all about getting information across to everyone.  Whether that is through workshops, eating, pop ups, cooking, social media, farm and producer visits; It’s about repeatedly banging on the door to get the message across!

Q: How do the Food festival and Slow Food values align? 

A: The slow food ethos is about ‘good, clean and fair food for everyone’ - you only have to walk onto the castle grounds and you just about feel every ounce of that ethos at the festival. It's about local, artisan producers, creating and selling food that is good in just about every way - from the nutrition to the value for money.  It’s about people who are following a passion in life and the festival does such an amazing job of highlighting that amazing work; and of course really helps to keep people chasing that passion!

Everything is speeding up, even the food industry! For the last decade there has seemed to be a new focus on quick cooking - recipes and meals that can be cooked in 15 minutes as if that’s all the time we have spare to cook! Let’s do the complete opposite, let’s slow down. Book time in our diaries to maybe spend an entire afternoon cooking. It’s a classic chef cliche but good food is about love and attention. 

Q: Which suppliers in the Marches region do you like to work with? Do you like to promote local, small producers and growers and always choose to go organic whenever you can?

A: This is a big question! I’m not sure there is enough space to list everyone.  I have some really close ties and relationships with so many of the amazing producers in this region.  Having been in Shropshire about 5 years now, the passion for food and great produce in this county is one of the things (apart from falling in love with my now wife) that was the deal breaker for me settling here.  It’s about the people as much as their produce.  What I have learnt in the last few years is that great people make great produce and for me, it's listening to their story.  The whys and hows when it comes to what they do.  I firmly believe you can taste the connection to food when you eat it.  So it’s about following those stories right onto your plate.  Although I can’t mention everyone, I feel like a special part of my heart lies with Havenhills Field & Kitchen - I worked alongside them for a year or so when they were setting up, but their uber local ethos and determination to stick to it is out of this world.  Their tomatoes are completely on another level - delicious - and I crave the tomato season every year just to head over there and grab some! I also feel like I need to mention Will (Macken) from Shropshire Salumi - he got me involved with Slow Food and helped me forge some really great relationships when I was starting out.  I don’t know many people who haven't had his delicious sausage in their mouth, but if you haven't tried it, you are missing out! It’s no exaggeration to say it's up there with the best charcuterie I’ve tried in the world!  

When it comes to "organic", it’s an important element to look for whenever you can.  It's a good sign that things are being done right, but it’s not the be all and end all. 

There are a lot of hurdles associated with getting certification, and that magical stamp, that are out of the hands of the producer - and some who are way beyond organic with their practices.  So for me it's about having those conversations with the producer, listening to their story and finding out how they work, and most importantly why they are doing things they way they are.

If anyone is struggling for finding local producers - head over to the the Slow Food Ludlow website.  You'll find a full list of all of our (ever increasing) business members - you can guarantee everyone's doing things as well as they possibly can over there!

Q: You are returning to the 2025 Food Festival to cook a Slow Food Feast with a menu of 6 courses on both Friday night and Saturday night - where do you get inspiration to plan such a feast?

A: It doesn't take much to grab my attention and get the old creative juices flowing with this one.  It’s a combination of two huge passions in my life, Slow Food and Surplus Food.  Surplus Food is an issue that is not widely spoken about and it’s miraculous when you see the scale of the problem.  I mentioned earlier, the foundation of my ethos - Everyone Deserves To Eat. We produce enough food in the world to feed everyone, yet people are still hungry and don't have access to food.  It's something that needs to be addressed and I am passionate about raising awareness around this.  Surplus food is a great way to help feed our communities and it's the work of local surplus food charities like The Shrewsbury Food Hub, Hands Together Ludlow & Newport Food Save And Share (plus all the other amazing organisations across Shropshire) that makes that happen! It's so important to support these charities and help enable them to keep doing the vital work they do day to day. 

I cannot wait to use some amazing Slow Food produce to highlight exactly what can be achieved with surplus food and show everyone that it's far from just veg on the edge and how important it is that we prevent it from turning into food waste!

 Q: What can people expect from the Food Festival Slow Food Feasts? How do they differ from your average dinner party? 

A: 2023 was the first Slow Food Feast - we were all going in a little bit blind.  Whenever you launch any event for the first time there is definitely a bit of uncertainty, but poking my head around the corner in the middle of one of the feasts that first year is a moment that has genuinely stuck with me: A total buzz of an atmosphere, people passing food around, talking about the flavours, the ingredients, food memories.  It was incredible.

There is an informality to the evening and an atmosphere that’s unique and like no other meal or restaurant experience.  It really does help break down all the barriers and is the sort of laid back and inviting surroundings that helps forge new connections and friendships. I always make sure I walk around the dining room before everyone leaves; just to say a quick thank you for everyone spending their time and money with us.

My little mind was blown by how many new connections had been forged across the dinner table: Different bookings and groups chatting away, sharing numbers, making plans to see each other again.  That's the power of food!  That's the power of Slow Food! Magic! I just kind of want to say no more stuffy formal dinner parties and welcome a more laidback way to enjoy good food, with plate after plate of delicious food, arriving as and when they are ready.  It’s all about relaxing into your surroundings, eating good food and enjoying the people around you!

Q: Food surplus - Do people commonly think Food Surplus is Food Waste? What's the difference, and how does Food Surplus come about? Is it still high quality?

A: This is probably the most common misconception about surplus food. 

There’s an image of wonky, bendy veg, mouldy cabbages and half-eaten beetroots! Ultimately, the definition of surplus food is the same as a surplus of whatever. 

It's when production and supply override the demand. I view surplus food as like the life boat for food before it becomes food waste and ends up in the bin! There are a million different reasons as to why food surplus arises.  One of the biggest ones is simply over-production and over-ordering; manufacturers have made too much, or supermarkets and retailers have ordered too much or had a quieter week than expected.  It leaves a big chunk of food sat there with nowhere to go. The food is all within its use by date and all perfectly edible!  The biggest thing to know about surplus food is that it has to be safe to eat.  The surplus food charities do the most amazing job of sorting and checking everything that comes through their door to ensure it's safe to eat and of a high enough standard to redistribute.  You'd be amazed at what turns up. More often than not there are some seriously premium ingredients that come through the door.  

Q: Can you give us any teasers of what the Slow Food Feast in September will feature?

 A: I am actually currently trying to narrow down the menu - I’ve had too many ideas, which probably means I will end up serving all of them - I am very much a feeder when it comes to portion control and often get over excited (and generous) when writing menus! I love to challenge people here and there, introduce something to them new and exciting.  It’s kind of impossible to guess what surplus food will be available - we are in the hands of the surplus God’s the few days before the festival.  

Q: What are your ‘Top Tips’ for creating masterpieces from fridge leftovers?

A: Understanding flavours, and how they balance is the key.  Always aim your focus on contrasting flavours and contrasting textures.  If something’s a bit sweet, add something a bit tangy, if something's a bit soft and squidgy, add something a bit crunchy.  If you can get 2 or 3 flavour profiles into a dish and a couple of textures - it's going to be delicious and more importantly, it's going to be exciting to cook and eat.  Inspiration is everywhere so keep your eyes (and tastebuds) open and focus on the food you eat, see and hear.  Making that connection helps you to understand the flavours you like to eat.  We could all do with slowing down and focusing on our food a little more: A bit less shoveling meals down as quick as possible (very much including myself in this), and a little more concentrating on what we’re eating and trying to create those core food memories! We need to throw the apparent 'rule book' away too! There's no such thing! Not every meal has to be a traditional, named or authentic dish.  You can take inspiration from all sorts of places, put them together and make something totally delicious that doesn't even have to be a name! Don’t be afraid of experimenting! You don’t have to stick your neck on the line and do something completely out there but the food world would be totally boring if no-one tried anything different!

Cook to your own palates and your own likes/dislikes! You don't have to follow recipes to the letter! 

Recipes should be a guide, they should be there for you to absorb and make your own.  Be present, think about what you are doing and more importantly why you’re doing it - this is how you learn to cook, rather than learn just how to follow recipes (believe me, there is a huge difference).  You’ll be devising your own recipes and creating masterpieces from fridge leftovers in now time! Tweak, change, adjust - don’t be afraid to try, don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Take notes, learn! 

Book your place at the Slow Food feast at Ludlow Food Festival 2025 on Friday 12th September or Saturday 13th September (7-10pm) here via the Ludlow Food Festival website or via the Slow Food Ludlow website - Friday night feast / Saturday night feast. Bring your appetites for a unique dining experience in The Beacon Rooms, Ludlow Castle, that champions food waste. Price: £35 (15% goes to surplus food charities).

Steve Guy is a personal chef, food consultant and food educator based in Shrewsbury. He always descibes himself as firstly an eater, and then a chef; hence 'The Hungry Guy'. Keep up to date with Steve's mission in the kitchen here.