Next symposium

Please note: We are eagerly anticipating a return to St Catz, but are mindful that unanticipated travel challenges may arise. If circumstances require us to cancel meeting at St Catz, we will nonetheless continue with the online symposium and refund the difference between your on-campus ticket and online attendance. Please take a moment to understand our cancellation and refund policies noted in the “T&C” (terms and conditions) at the bottom of the web page. You might consider purchasing travel insurance in the unpredictable event that you are unable, for whatever reason, to travel to the Symposium. We cannot refund Symposium fees beyond what is stated in our Terms & Conditions, but for cancellations received more than 28 days before the Symposium, if we can rebook your place from a waiting list, we will apply a 15% cancellation fee to your refund to cover our administrative costs; for cancellations 28 days or less before the Symposium, we will apply a 30% cancellation fee in the event we can rebook your place from a waiting list.

Paper-proposers should consider situations where portability is essential, such as for nomadic groups, seasonal migrants, or travellers en route. Examples might include meals prepared with supplies carried or foraged by herdsmen shepherding flocks as part of transhumance or market delivery. Foods transported by (or to) labourers in their respective environments, such as charcoal-burners, woodsmen, migrant agricultural workers, foragers, shore-gatherers, or inshore and deep-sea fishermen. Among subjects that would repay investigation is food carried on pilgrimage or when provisioning an army on the march, whether for a journey to Compostela, or for the armies of Hannibal when crossing the Alps, of the iron-rations provided for contemporary soldiers in remote war-zones. Provisionings for long sea-voyages powered by oar or sail, as well as the special needs of Arctic and Antarctic explorers, astronauts’ space rations, airline meals, all require foods especially suited for portability and durability.

An immersive weekend and beyond

Joyful news! Call it a leap of faith, but registration is now open for 2022’s Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery at St. Catz. While the event is still some time away, the college assures us that all necessary precautions for keeping delegates safe are in place, and that the facilities have undergone energetic upgrading under lockdown.

This doesn’t mean we’re abandoning our on-line Symposiasts, many of whom joined for the first time in 2020 and 2021 on our all-singing, all-dancing new website. We intend this to form an integral part of the Symposium’s purpose – the preparation, discussion, editing and publication of the annual Proceedings. These are made available the following year and are downloadable free after three years.

Symposiasts who gather for the weekend at St Catz will be able to follow (circumstances permitting) the usual programme of Speakers, Paper-presentations, meals, entertainments, book-room and informal discussion-forums.

The in-person Symposium weekend will be followed by a virtual Symposium – separately ticketed for those who are not attendees at St. Catz – which is scheduled to run for three weeks and include recordings of our Speakers, video recordings of all Papers, live panel discussions of Papers with their presenters (as in 2020 and 2021), Fringe activities, interactive Noticeboard and a final Speaker followed by a vote on the topic for 2025.

A symposium for everyone

The Symposium has always been a coming-together rather than setting-apart: Admission will be, as usual, first-come first-served, no academic qualifications required. Numbers of attendees at St.Catz will of necessity be strictly limited in 2022, so do please register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

A note on the meals: our lunches and dinners represent an integral part of the Symposium, the practical way of exploring our topic, and can only be experienced with bookings for the weekend as such. Obviously we will try to accommodate any special needs such as food allergies if we know about your requirements in advance.

Awards, grants & prizes

We have a number of assisted places, student rates, awards, grants and prizes that all applicants should endeavour to consult before registering their place.

St Catz is still our spiritual home

We are much looking forward to our return to St Catz, and you can read about the physical campus below.

FAQs

For further information on the Symposium, including activities, meals, dress, Symposium etiquette and more.