tom shields Food in the community

Topic for today is the importance of having lunch with neighbours. It's when good neighbours become good friends, as they say in Australia.

I am not sure if there will be much on the way of chucking prawns on the barbecue but I am looking forward to the Woodlands Big Lunch tomorrow. It's part of a UK-wide concept to encourage communities to get together concept.

Everybody brings a dish or three (suitably labelled for elf and safety reasons) and everybody shares. There are no cash transactions.

The action takes place outdoors in the Millennium Park and the Woodlands Community Garden and in the cafe of the Albany Centre of this bijou nouveau inner-city quartier of Glasgow.

I remember enjoying a street party in Brock Road, Househillwood, 60 years ago. It was before I became anti-royalist and realised I shouldn't be celebrating coronations. I also recall the Brock Road weans were regularly bused down to Saltcoats to eat sandy sandwiches and drink ginger.

In later life I am again being treated to dinner with everyone in the neighbourhood. This is during the annual festival of the Poblenou barrio of Barcelona.

Streets are closed off. Tables are set up and laden with far too much food and wine. Barcelona toon cooncil builds a stage and there is dancing until 4am. Other events include stuffing children with chocolate and a show that should be called Poblenou's Got Talent. There is also a lot of bingo played.

Obviously, Barcelona residents have the advantage of good weather, a tradition of culinary communality, and a local authority which will not be concerned that people are partying till nearly dawn.

In Scotland such activities are likely to conducted indoors when wet. But this should be no stumbling to communities coming together and getting their hands on food. And it need not be just one day a year.

There now follows a small plug for the Broken Biscuits Cookery Club of which I am a member. Instead of sitting at home watching Saturday Kitchen, mums and dads and children as young as five gather at the Albany Centre in Woodlands. Under the guidance of brilliant proper chefs, the children have been up to their elbows in flour and getting up close to raw veg as they made smoothies, fresh pasta, Spanish bridies, and Vietnamese rice paper rolls.

Tomorrow at the Woodlands Big Lunch it's make your own pakora under the aegis of Monir, chef-patron of Mother India.