Last night I experienced my first slow food event.  Ironically I was dashing about trying to sort the kids out before I went.

The event was the first for the Cheshire region and offered a "Cheshire Ploughman’s Tasting" held in a barn at the Spitting Feathers Brewery in Waverton, Chester.  An impressive range of slow foods was showcased.  We grabbed rich, fresh breads from the Food for Thought Bakery in Crewe, smothered it with Charlie’s farm butter from Weaverham, topped that both fruity, creamy cheeses from Anne Connolly of Malpas and rich, home-made pates from Katie Cooks of Wilmslow.  An organic side salad from Roots of the Earth in Poole complemented our plate which was washed down with either Windsor’s apple juice from Willington or, for me, one of a range of beers from the micro-brewery on the farm.   We were offered the opportunity to buy products direct from the producers after our meal - we indulged in a fab pasta sauce from Eliot Green’s School of Cookery with labels made by the local school as well as all the ingredients for a great ploughman’s.

The Slow Food movement which was started in Italy has gained momentum, campaigning for great tasting food which is sourced locally and is produced in a sustainable way, minimising both impact on the environment and artificial intervention.  And there is no obsession with the perfect shaped veg.

The event last night contributed to growing that momentum and establishing a local heart to the concept.  We met some great enthusiasts as we discussed the ethos of slow food over huge crusts of bread and lively cheese.  However, the fact we attended illustrates that we are already advocates.

One of the critical objectives of the movement must be education, particularly among children whose early eating habits establish long-term behaviours and choices.  There were a couple of children there who seemed to be tucking in with as much enthusiasm and it would be great to see more events designed around kids.  Our local school is currently considering the sourcing of ‘slow’ food for school dinners, discussing how local producers can bring produce to a hub which is then delivered to the school kitchen.  I think that the Slow Food movement is going to be an essential part of our Cheshire community, working with our kids to get them more involved too.  I’ll raise my glass of organic beer to that.

The Slow Food movement is about taking the concept to local areas.  Each local branch establishes a community offering tailored events.  The communities are developing organically, gently finding their feet and building a proposition based on a strong belief in local, organic, great tasting food.   Why not get involved early and join your local group?  Visit http://www.slowfood.org.uk/

St Kitts is a lush tropical Caribbean island in the Leeward islands.  Sounds like paradise?  However it stands at the most critical point in its development since independence, as the country seeks to diversify its economy since the final closure of the sugar industry to secure a prosperous future for its people. One of the main areas of change is, of course, agriculture, where the rural communities are having to adapt to the significant change.  The whole structure of agriculture has changed, in particular moving from a single crop with centrally managed production to the complexity of coordinating supply of multiple products

A group of us went over to work with the farmers over the summer and it was refreshing to see the energy and enthusiasm.  During on-site farm visits, it was clear that farmers are demonstrating extraordinary effort and commitment in using the rich soil and tropical climate to produce a wide range of high quality fruit and vegetables.

A key mechanism to making this work has been the set up of farmer’s co-operatives.  The co-operative meet regularly to discuss their plans and progress.  There are a number of product-focused co-operatives who all come together to share their experience, pool their thinking and propose collective responses.  They work closely with the Marketing function to align supply and demand and to develop new products.  I was particularly impressed with the women’s co-operative groups who were developing innovative responses to the shift in the sector.  One group was producing a fantastic soup base using mis-shaped or spare vegetables; bringing a new convenient product to market, meeting the needs of busy lives and using what would normally be waste.

These groups will continue to shape the future structure and ways of working of the industry as they are now starting to discuss shared machinery, collaborative supply chains and export markets.

As the country stands at the beginning of a significant program of transformation, it has been inspiring to see how the co-operatives have provided mutual support to all the farmers who might otherwise be isolated.  Working co-operatively has meant a shared perspective and a feeling of support.   This has enabled them to progress with increased pace and confidence.  We look forward to keeping in touch with ongoing developments.

One of the most important contributors to success in personal and business life is the ability to communicate effectively. Communication is about delivering a message to another and we assume that the recipient has a perfect understanding of all the nuances and meanings of our messages. However, often meaning get lost in translation; re-coded and re-interpreted.An area of interest currently is the study of emotional intelligence or EQ as a vital element of any leader. One of the key strands of EQ is the ability to tune into other’s people’s emotional state and with that understand how to communicate with them.

This skill is a rare one indeed battling with the natural ego; ourselves at the centre of our concern. However, the skill is brilliantly illustrated with the practice of Horse Whispering.

Monty Roberts is often called, ‘The Man who talks to horses’. His father broke horses in the traditional way through discipline and often force. Monty practices an entirely different approach where he tunes in to the communication signals of the horse and communicates in the same language. The results of his approach are amazing.

Wild horses enter the training arena; half an hour later, there is a palpable trust between the animals and Monty. You can see the ongoing, non-verbal communication improving the relationship minute by minute.

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