The British Academy of Gastronomes
A Brief History.
The International Academy of Gastronomy is an international network of academies who exist to promote exceptional gastronomy. The International Academy of Gastronomy was originally founded in 1983 by the five national Academies of Spain, France, Britain, Italy and Switzerland.
The ‘British Academy of Gastronomes’ was originally formed by the legendary food critic Egon Ronay in 1983, and whilst the International Academy of Gastronomy has grown to encompass over 30 academies, the British Academy ceased to operate with the passing of Egon before finally ceasing to exist in July 2012 – that is until now.
The Egon Ronan guides were eventually sold to the AA and become more widely known as the AA guides, Britain’s equivalent to the Michelin Guidebook. Whereas the Michelin Guide is noted for celebrating the culinary arts, Egon intended for his guides to celebrate the art of gastronomy – a commitment we now strive towards.
The Need for Institutional Memory
We believe deeply that British schools, hospitals and our armed forces deserve better standards of gastronomy. In fact we all do. Whilst some excellent work has been undertaken by Jamie Oliver and Marcus Rashford, our political institutions work in election cycles and all too often the work undertaken is lost as governments change. Therefore we believe an institutional memory is required to outlive political cycles and achieve meaningful change throughout the British isles – just as other International Academies operate.
By way of example, in the excellent ‘Simply Provence‘ series by Marcus Wareing, in Series 1, Episode 1 Marcus is stunned to learn that French school children regularly dine on Calamari, Squid and Lobster Bisque, often growing their own vegetables for consumption at school. Standards of gastronomy taught in French schools are vastly superior to those taught throughout British schools – if at all. This success is largely due to the Académie des Gastronomes and it’s role in promoting gastronomic excellence throughout French society.
At the British Academy of Gastronomes, we aim to do better and to discover and celebrate British gastronomic standards. Whilst there are excellent initiatives being undertaken in Britain, such as the collaboration between Forestry England, Highland Game and the East Lancashire Hospital Trust to put locally sourced wild venison on the menu – we believe such initiatives need to be developed at scale and introduced throughout Britain.
“You can fill 27 Wembley stadiums with the 2.5 million children that are struggling to know where their next meal might be coming from today”
Footballer and activist Marcus Rashford
Join Us
Whilst we are just at the beginning of our journey, we’re looking for fifty like minded members to join our academy. Our aim is to raise standards of gastronomy throughout Britain whilst discovering and enjoying exceptional gastronomy at all levels of society. We’re looking for members to help campaign, lobby, formulate vision and strategy and most importantly, to act. We’ll be developing and delivering membership packages aimed at raising funds in an enjoyable and convivial way whilst aligning with our manifesto aims.