Know your farmer, know your food

What happens when you invite 100 of the most visionary, inspiring and practical people working in food into the same room?

This is exactly what we did on 14th May at the Lincolnshire Food Summit 2026: people working for a fairer, healthier, more resilient food in Lincolnshire, but in different parts of the system – farming, health, policy, community, research, business, and more. 

By seeing ourselves as part of a bigger picture, and by seeing one another’s challenges as our own, we are able to discover and cooperate on solving the big and difficult challenges that affect us all.

One aspect that stood out for me is our disconnect from farming.

Overwhelmingly, people want to see healthier communities, vibrant food economies, and farming that supports nature, healthy soil, clean water – but we don’t always know how to be part of that change.

There’s more to it than “consumer choice”.

Good food is relational as well as transactional – it is profoundly about people and place. And there are farmers here in Lincolnshire showing us how better food can be done, and how we can help drive the change.

4 ways to re-connect with good food & farming in Lincoln:

1. Know your farmer: Open Farm Sunday is 7th June, and farms across Lincolnshire are welcoming the public. Don’t worry if you have missed it this year, the Inkpot Permaculture demonstration farm opens its gates on the first Saturday of every month – get notifications by WhatsApp here
2. Tell them how much you enjoy their food: farmers are proud to grow good food, but they seldom hear our appreciation.
   • Lincoln farmers market – third Saturday of each month in Castle Square (this month that’s 20th June)
   • All Saints Farmers Market – fourth Saturday of the month 9AM-12PM: St. Matthias Church car-park, Burton Road
3. Talk to chefs and bakers too: these are people who care about food, and they love that you care, too! By the way, Lincoln is stealthily becoming a very exciting city for good bread – as befits the food city in the breadbasket of Britain!
4. Get involved: Middle World Farm in Washingborough welcomes customers as volunteers or for work experience. Mucking in on a market garden (i.e. a small, diverse farm) is fun, varied and satisfying, and working alongside someone as skilled and knowledgeable as Martin Taylor, you can really learn a lot about nature-friendly food!

Find out more about the Lincolnshire Food Summit 2026

Thank you to the Lincoln Independent for publishing this in their May 2026 print edition