A recipe for inclusion – Interpretation through food

Led by Geraldine Mathieson
Not everyone is interested in ……, but everyone has to eat. Memory is linked to sensory input, so the tastes, textures and smells of food can help form and trigger memories. Plants and animals form part of the food chain too, and every culture has its food, so there could be a food-based connection to almost any site or story. Helping interpreters to find them is the object of this workshop.

Aim
Our workshop will help you understand how food can provide the ‘Relate’ factor for visitors within many heritage interpretation experiences, and enhance long-lasting memories.
The day will include presentations, activities and group work to entice your thinking and taste buds! and will cover a range of topics including perceptions of food, multi-sensory aspects of food and how to apply food-related experiences to a range of sites and subjects.

Lunch and refreshments are included. Don’t forget to bring a sample of something (or a picture) to tell a story and add variety to a thought-provoking lunch!

Our venue will be the Heckington Windmill, with great food stories to tell and a brewery on the side. You will have a chance to take the tour of the mill as part of the workshop.

Who is it for?
The workshop is intended for anyone working in the field of heritage interpretation; (whether you are a planner, a designer or a tour guide) who wants explore new approaches, draw new audiences and infuse new meanings into their interpretation projects. It is an opportunity to meet and share ideas with others who undertake similar work. The course capacity is 20 people, so book early.

About Geraldine
Take one windmill enthusiast, blend with a study of Heritage Interpretation, pour over an interest in food history, simmer gently and leave to mature for two decades. Serve as an hors d’ouvres for any occasion, garnished with a sprinkling of students, or on its own as a main course.
Geraldine maintains that you are never too old for dressing up or playing with toys. She works predominantly in the voluntary sector, delivering interpretation services to people who are more interested in machines, but sometimes she gets to wear fancy clothes and play in the kitchen.