Birmingham Uni is to stage a unique city-wide day of events called Brum Dine With Me on September 28th as part of a major European campaign highlighting the value of research in society.

Scientists and other experts who are undertaking pioneering research in food and health are collaborating with Birmingham City Council, Brindleyplace and the mac Birmingham on this exciting venture, which is sponsored by the European Commission. A total of 53 cities throughout Europe will be taking part.

Birmingham was recently chosen as the UK’s food capital by the BBC’s food magazine, Olive. But this is the first event of its kind, with a variety of destinations across the city hosting a range of interactive workshops, presentations and school visits to promote health in the local community.

Event coordinator, Dr Eliot Marston, said: “Brum Dine With Me  aims to show that despite being one of the most reliably routine aspects of human life, food has a remarkable power to amaze, and is a universal language across regional, national, international, generational and cultural barriers. Our activities have been designed to demonstrate how food allows us to express ourselves and to be innovators in the comfort of our own homes.”

The University of Birmingham has an extensive portfolio of outstanding research related to food, including the areas of psychology, chemical engineering, clinical health, marketing and business, arts and social sciences.

Professor of Public Engagement with Science Alice Roberts has been helping to develop and champion the event with a group of leading scientists and researchers.

Professor Roberts said: “Brum Dine With Me promises to be an extraordinary, joyful ‘happening’. We’re bringing University of Birmingham’s cutting-edge research into the city, with a host of diverse events to inspire you and delight your taste buds. As well as looking at healthy eating, and the science of dining, we’re also celebrating the multiculturalism and diversity of the city – through food.”

Highlights  include:

Diet MOT – We really are what we eat! Mac, 5-8pm

Visit mac to find out how good your diet is! Scientists will be on hand to offer visitors a diet MOT, along with advice on setting realistic goals to improve eating habits

Urban veg Winterbourne House and Gardens, 11-7pm

Urban veg at Winterbourne House and Gardens invites visitors to get their hands dirty and learn about how to grow your own fruit and vegetables, wherever in the city you might be. The site, will host local food producers, food stalls and an array of fun activities to inspire even the most gardening averse to think about growing their own.

Making and remaking food Brindleyplace, 12-6pm

Chemical engineering experts will hold a marquee at Brindleyplace with interactive games and activities around manufacturing and producing foods. Scientists will look at future foods, showing visitors how we can produce foods that are healthier, make us feel fuller, or that are more sustainable.

A taste of multiculturalism mac Birmingham, 5-7pm

Promoting the positive side of multiculturalism and diversity through food, University researchers and local faith and community groups will offer a range of international foods with testimonies from people who have migrated to Birmingham from other parts of the world.

Strictly come anything mac Birmingham, 5-8pm

It’s showtime at the mac as we follow four budding acts as they fuel up and compete to be Strictly Brum Dancing Champions. But what should be the dining habits to optimise performance? And what happens when the wrong fuels are added to the fire? Join us for a tongue-in-cheek exploration of the minefield of performance nutrition, designed and choreographed by Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal dancer Matthew Lawrence, and performed by student dancers from the company’s associated school, Elmhurst School for Dance.

Supermarket tours various supermarkets, 12-4pm

Sign up for personalised supermarket tours across Birmingham! Nutritionists and dieticians will be on hand at stores across Birmingham to provide information on healthy food choices, how to decipher food labels and find the healthiest food for the best prices.

*For more information and the full list of events,  click here