Solidarity Catering – eat what you like, pay what you can

Do it yourself catering for campaigns in the age of Austerity, as sampled at our 2016 National Conference.

In many campaign meetings, these days, there are people who are hungry. Charging for food and drink often stops these campaigners eating, and makes life worse. It makes it harder for people to take a real part in the meeting.

At the Left Unity conference, the message was “Please EAT!”. We had a tin where people could put a donation for the food. This is the recipe for the most popular food. You need a really big pan for the full recipe but half will fit in a big stock pot. A big catering pan can be less than £20 and can of course be reused. Those people who attend, and who have money, contribute by paying a fair price and by eating communally, not sloping off for an expensive coffee and baguette. We more than covered our costs but we did not pay for electricity to cook it. We choose Scouse because it is cheap and popular but we could have done many other simple dishes. It was simple so the cooks could take part in the conference sessions, including chairing one.

Veggie Scouse

Original recipe from Paul Cooke from Reclaim in Bootle.

10lb spuds.
About a Tablespoon of oil
4 onions chopped
8 carrots chopped
1 leek (Sliced up)
1 swede diced.
4/5 veggie stock cubes
15 veggie sausages skinned and chopped up in bits. Try to get gluten free ones.
Salt and pepper.
That’s up to 40 bowls, 1 scoop each

Method:
Gently fry the onions, brown the veggie sausages, add the leeks, add the potatoes carrots and swedes.
Add stock cubes to a pint of water.
Add to the pan with enough water to cover the vegetables, bring to the boil, and turn down to a slow simmer. Cook for a long time. (2 hours minimum)
It keeps overnight in the pan provided it is heated through thoroughly before serving in the morning.
This is vegan, low fat, dairy and wheat free

Lamb Scouse
If you want to do a lamb Scouse try to get a cheaper cut on the bone (preferably organic if you can source at low cost). Try to use a bony piece of cheap lamb not a fatty piece. The bones give the flavour. Use 400/500 grams or less. Brown after the onions and cook for as long as possible (2 hours) on a very low heat.

What else we used:
At the Conference we did half quantities of this each for lamb, beef and veggie. We did a curried soup from butternut squash and coconut but that was donated, not cooked from the budget. We provided tea, coffee, and herbal teas. Next time we will add hot chocolate. We bought milk, (two really big bottles) sugar, butter (two packets) and dairy free margarine, brown sauce and red sauce and a lot of bread rolls (packs of 4 for 35p in Asda at closing time) and cheese for those who wanted. We bought six packs of cheap biscuits. We also took some gluten free bread We had the use of a kitchen at the Quaker Meeting House and use of their crockery. If there are questions about how to cope without these luxuries, please let me know.

Shopping to feed 75 cost us £55. This didn’t include oil or salt and pepper.

More recipes if anyone wants them. Please send us useful ones to share.

Eat what you need, pay what you can. We are in this to end poverty together.

 


To submit an article for the 'Discussion & Debate' section of our website please email it to info@leftunity.org

Left Unity is active in movements and campaigns across the left, working to create an alternative to the main political parties.

About Left Unity   Read our manifesto

Left Unity is a member of the European Left Party.

Read the European Left Manifesto  

ACTIVIST CALENDAR

Events and protests from around the movement, and local Left Unity meetings.

ongoing
Just Stop Oil – Slow Marches

Slow marches are still legal (so LOW RISK of arrest), and are extremely effective. The plan is to keep up the pressure on this ecocidal government to stop all new fossil fuel licences.

Sign up to slow march

Saturday 9th March: national march for Palestine

National demonstration.

Ceasefire NOW! Stop the Genocide in Gaza: Assemble 12 noon Hyde Park Corner to the US Embassy

Full details

More events »

GET UPDATES

Sign up to the Left Unity email newsletter.

CAMPAIGNING MATERIALS

Get the latest Left Unity resources.

Leaflet: Support the Strikes! Defy the anti-union laws!

Leaflet: Migration Truth Kit

Broadsheet: Make The Rich Pay

More resources »