Category: News

Often overlooked as a humble coleslaw ingredient, cabbage is actually a nutritional powerhouse. Whether you prefer it green, red, or crinkled (Savoy), this cruciferous vegetable punches far above its weight class in terms of health perks.

The US writer, Mark Twain, once described cauliflowers as nothing but a cabbage with a college education, but we think he misunderstands cabbages and they’re actually bright and beautiful. We were delighted, therefore, to receive loads of them earlier this week from Gleaning Cornwall Network, kindly delivered by our friends at Amazon. Thank you both – we think cabbages are lovely (and cauliflowers).

Pro Tip: To get the most “bang for your buck,” try eating cabbage raw or lightly steamed. Over-boiling can destroy the Vitamin C and that beneficial sulforaphane.

A few weeks ago, Savona Foodservice held its biggest exhibition to date at Sandy Park, an annual event for the catering industry showcasing food, drink and non-food items. Over 350 delegates attended the exhibition, and we were there too, with our partners, FareShare South West.

Huge thanks to Savona Foodservice, who’d invited us to collect surplus food at the end of the event. Between us we were able to rescue a massive 473kg of lovely food that might otherwise have gone waste. That’s equivalent to over 1,000 meals, which soon found its way to the many charities, schools and food clubs etc. we and FareShare South West support in Exeter and across Devon.

Thank you to Savona Foodservice, our partners and everyone who plays a part in our work. We couldn’t do what we do without you!

Bartlett, who specialise in refrigeration, catering and air conditioning equipment, have been very good friends to us. They’ve come to our rescue on several occasions when one of our fridges or freezers has had an off day. But that’s not all and the picture below shows our volunteers, Donald and Nev, unloading a shiny new printer that Bartlett kindly provided free of charge when the ageing, squeaking one in our office drew its last breath. Thanks to everyone at Bartlett for coming to our rescue once again!

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), inflation fell to 3.0% in the 12 months to January 2026, down from 3.4% in December 2025. It’s encouraging news that the rate at which prices are rising is slowing down, but we’re not out of the woods just yet. Many people are still struggling to put food on the table, which is where we step in, rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste. If you’d like to lend a hand, we’d be very grateful, as would the 1,000s of people supported by the groups to which we deliver lots of lovely, good quality, nutritious food. Please help if you can: https://exeterfoodaction.org.uk/donate. Thank you.

Every Christmas morning, our volunteer, Jennie, gets together with her family and a few friends, and they play carols in the street for their neighbours and local community. This year and last, they made a collection for Exeter Food Action, and this year they raised over £100, for which we’re so grateful. That’s Jennie’s mum in the purple hat with her collection box, and the smiling maestro on guitar is Jon Curtis, one of our original founders. Thank you all!

We’re literally full of beans about a donation we received this week. Our friends at Gleaning Cornwall have supplied us with 100kg of coffee beans from Origin Coffee, with a whopping value of around £1,000!

We’re basking in the gorgeous aroma in our warehouse right now (a nice change from sprouts!), but the beans will soon be bouncing their way to local warm spaces, where visitors can relax out of the cold and enjoy a steaming cuppa. Thank you Gleaning Cornwall!

Last year, thanks to the kindness of Exeter video production company, Fresh Ground Films, we were able to create this wonderful video. Ross, the owner, and his incredible team, spent several days with us on numerous shoots in different locations. We think that the film, at just under 5 minutes, captures the very essence of what we do, and that’s because Ross took his time, asked lots of questions, spoke to many staff and volunteers, joined us at our warehouse, on van deliveries and even came gleaning pumpkins in muddy fields. He saw what we do, turning food waste into hope, and that a big chunk of how we do it is down to the hard work of over fifty incredible volunteers, our beating heart. Thank you Ross and Fresh Ground Films. You got us just right!

Last year, our incredible volunteer, Ellen, took on a mighty challenge and invited people to do a bit of house decluttering, asking them if they had any unwanted books and CDs that they could donate, which she’d then turn into money. We weren’t sure how well it might go but it soon took off and, as of the date of this post, thanks to Ellen’s amazing hard work, she’s raised a whopping £3,800, which has been an enormous help to us.

If you’re keen to do a bit of decluttering and can help her hit the £4,000 mark or higher, it’s easily done. Simply drop them off at the address below where, to the side of Ellen’s house on the left, there’s an undercover area, sheltered from the rain, from where she’ll eventualy retrieve them and work her magic. It’s that easy!

19 Rosebarn Lane, Exeter, EX4 5EL.

Thank you.

We’re sorry that we were unable to bring you the Summer 2025 edition of Food Matters, but we’re pleased to report that normal service is now resumed with this, our Autumn/Winter 2025 issue.

Among many other things, in this issue we bid a fond farewell and give thanks to our much-loved coordinator, Elizabeth, who left her position this summer, as well as warm welcomes to our new manager, Wendy, and to our new part-time van driver, Keith.

Much of this issue is dedicated to giving thanks to the many friends and supporters who’ve lent us a hand in recent months. There are so many that we don’t have the space to thank every single one of you, but we’re so grateful to everyone who plays a part in our work, however small. We simply couldn’t do what we do without you.

You can view or download a copy by clicking on the image below.

This Christmas, 1,000s of people in Exeter and across Devon will feel the impact of good food being saved and shared.

Here’s the team behind the scenes — rescuing, sorting and delivering hope, every day. If you’re able to support our work this winter, it’s easily done. Please help if you can:

https://localgiving.org/charity/exeter-food-action