Rovingdean Green Supper

We are excited to announce a village-wide roving supper event as part of the Great Big Green Week in September. Some people know these as ‘safari suppers’ or ‘progressive suppers’ (and may have memories of these as they were popular in the 70-80s). Roving suppers are a much-awaited yearly event in many villages across the UK, and we thought it would be fun to revive the idea and see what Ovingdean thinks! Participants have told us these events are a great way to connect with their neighbours, and a chance to meet new people, so are perfect for anyone new to the village as well as those who know a few more people already. How we choose to eat and shop is essential in our quest to protect our environment, so also fits perfectly with the Green Week theme.

Please note: The Rovingdean Big Green Supper is for OVINGDEAN RESIDENTS ONLY, and is an adult-only event. This is a local event that only works with a small radius, with the intension being to meet and mix with neighbours who live nearby.

How does it work?

Everyone who is taking part will first meet together for a pre-dinner drink, and will then will move to a pre-determined home of a neighbour in a group of approximately 6-8. You will all enjoy a starter, and then have time to move to another neighbour's house where you will enjoy a main course. There is another rotation for dessert. You will host one of these courses in your home.

As a commitment to protecting nature and reducing the impact of climate change, we will encourage hosts to do something environmentally considerate they perhaps wouldn’t normally do; it might be they cook a vegetarian or vegan course, commit to shopping locally (eg use local meat or farms), walk or cycle to do the food shopping, or challenge themselves to be completely plastic free for their offering.

The idea is that courses are informal and simple, and that no-one needs special cooking skills to take part. It’s the social connection that matters, so hosts are encouraged to prepare in advance and make things straightforward.

People will move in pairs of adults, all of whom will be Ovingdean residents. These may be couples, family members, or friends (if you would like us to pair you up with someone, please let us know). Every effort will be made to mix groups up so that you meet new people at each course, and to ensure that the meals are no more than about 15mins walk or cycle away from each other. Each ‘pair’ is a host for one course as well as a ‘guest’ for the others. There will be 45-60mins for each course, and you will receive a list with details of your personalised schedule of hosts and addresses so you know where you’re going, and you will know which course you are responsible for in advance.

If you have dietary requirements or allergies, we can give you contact details of your hosts so you can communicate these to them in advance. We will make every effort to accommodate those with limited mobility to make this event as accessible as possible, and if there are reasons why you can’t host, please let us know and we will see what we can do to make sure you can still join in.

All participants prepare (and pay for) one course: either a starter, main course, or dessert for up to 6-8 people (plus wine or non-alcoholic alternative). Any guests who are unable to host will contribute fizz for the pre-dinner drinks, but the general assumption is that participants will host, to ensure the maths works!

* Once you have committed please put the date in the diary, as there will be a lot of effort made to match you to the right neighbours and pulling out last minute will cause quite an impact on the hosts*

How do sign up?

If you would like to take part, please click the RSVP button below and we will send some further information about the event, and also ask you for some more details. This RVSP button gives us your email address and will allow us to contact you throughout the planning stages.

If you have any questions, please contact Jessica and Julia: jbavinton@googlemail.com / 07807 969 739.

Please tell your friends and neighbours and get them involved too!