Pot Luck dinners are almost always held on the third Friday night of the month. They are a BYO affair and celebrate good local food, good company and are a relaxed way to meet other people passionate about growing thier own vegies and doing their bit for the environment in Ballarat.

Look at the Events Calendar to see when the next pot luck dinner will be held. By the Wednesday of the 3rd Friday week, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to find out the details of what you could bring, to RSVP and to find out the venue.

Read on to find out more about our social evenings and the "Locavore Challenge"!

"Locavore Pot Luck Dinner Challenge"!

September 19th 2008 Pot Luck dinner was the beginning of the "Locavore Challenge". What's a Locavore? It's a person who eats food only from producers who are within a 160km radius of their home.

See and hear all about our Potluck dinner held on the 19th of September 2008 at the ABC Radio Site - Jarrod Watt's audio and photos re a treat for the eyes and ears! See also "Living La Vida Loacavore" - for a static view of the photos.

The aim is to increase the local component of the food we cook, and the challenge is to use the preceding months to find sources of ingredients, or substitutes where we can't find them. For example honey could be used instead of sugar.

A local food groupie, Deb, has started the process for us with a local food list compiled from people's postings to the LFG forum, which you can find here: http://www.breaze.org.au/balfoodlist/ . Head on over to the forum to have your say and add any lovely local produce to our knowledge!

So we'll look forward to seeing you all at the next dinner to test yourself against the Locavore Pot Luck Dinner Challenge!

To prepare for a "Locavore Pot Luck Dinner Challenge" there's heaps of information on Locavore eating. There are also plenty of variations on how it's done. Our aim is to work towards Pot Luck dinners where every ingredient used is local. But we don't live in a perfect world, so we'll work towards that aim slowly! Hopefully it should be fun!

If you are new to the concept of Locavore, I think a great start is to follow the Locavore pledge below:

If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.
If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.
If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.
If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

Check out Jarrod Watt's Locavore Adventures (Ballarat ABC local radio).

Click to find out about a Melbourne family who did the Locavore challenge for a week.

Also, we have a compilation of local food sources that have been found so far in Ballarat here:
http://www.breaze.org.au/balfoodlist/