Communal Dining: Feasts + Fields

Guest post by Lily Ellis of Birch + Bird.


The school year is drawing to a close and I for one am counting down until the dog days of summer! Late dinners, leisurely mid-week get-togethers with friends and lazy mornings all spell vacation to me (although the novelty could very well wear off by week 3!) and some of my favourite memories have always been those last minute meals shared with friends. You know, the ones where everyone just grabs what they already have on hand and come together for a potluck of sorts. It seems I'm not the only one with such fond memories and there has been a revival of communal bread breaking lately. Organizers such as Feast to Fields and magazines like Kinfolk celebrate locally grown food, farmers and chefs while bringing people from all walks of life together at one table. I would love to attend a similar event one day, especially one hosted in a picturesque field, orchard or venue like the following...


 Rue. Photo by Jose Villa.





Whether celebrating a special occasion like a wedding or spending a casual evening with friends or family, there's something to be said for the simplicity of joining together at one long table to share food and conversation. Meeting new people, tasting new foods and learning where what we eat actually comes from are important habits to learn and teach to others, would you agree? And I'm seriously dreaming of owning at least one of these gorgeous harvest tables!

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Lily co-writes with Rachel over at Birch + Bird
Together they organize local handmade + vintage markets and run a small Etsy shop. 
You can follow Birch + Bird on Facebook and Twitter.

Jan Halvarson

5 comments:

J'aime le Panda said...

I loved atmosphere on 6th photo <3

Ana de la Serna said...

Lovely tablesettings! Some of thenremind me os much to the lifestyle of the Mediterranean, where I belong... I wrote about these gatherings around the table, outdoors.. about the Mediterranean light and colors and families... You can read it here http://anadelaserna.blogspot.com.es/2011/07/almuerzos-al-aire-libre.html It's in spanish
but I'n sure you'll enjoy the pictures. I'm going to start writing my post in english so you english speakers can follow me ;)

Anna said...

Whole lot of beauty!

Vintage Home said...

so delightful!

Unknown said...

I would love to have a meal outside like that with my family at a long table lit by lanterns! It just seems so peaceful and fun. It really just reeks of SUMMER!

By the Way:: I love your blog! Good job!