Ndoh Sasua: A West African Farm to Fork Feast
Ian Jones, Food and Drink EditorBook now
Ndoh Sasua: A West African Farm to Fork Feast
£25 for local residents and £30 for the general public.
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
On Thursday 14 August at Northern Roots in Oldham, Chef Ngwafu Tansie presents Ndoh Sasua: A West African Farm‑to‑Fork Feast. “Ndoh sasua” refers to a celebratory communal meal in Cameroon and, that’s precisely what this is: a vegan supper entirely built around produce grown on site at what’s soon to be the UK’s largest urban farm.
Northern Roots is a 160‑acre redevelopment of derelict Victorian parkland that once served as a mill site and landfill. Since opening its first phase of farming in 2023, the site has grown to include polytunnels, no‑dig beds, hedgerows, orchards, chickens, hives and beekeeping with Hive5 Manchester. The next 12 months will see four more acres of market garden, a Visitor Centre, Forestry Skills Centre and amphitheatre arrive at the heart of the eco‑park.
Back to the feast. Guests will arrive as the farm closes, enjoy a welcome drink and kick back to live kora music by Jali Nyonkoling Kuyateh in the Community Garden.
Then it’s onto the communal wooden banquet tables for Manchester‑grown seasonal veg, grains and pulses. The menu is vegan, inspired by West African traditions, and rooted in sustainable, affordable farm‑to‑table practices.
The three-course vegan menu blends Cameroonian flavours with seasonal British produce: beetroot kilishi jerky with smoked tofu and pickled cucumber on plantain chips to start; BBQ suya-spiced courgettes with baobab potatoes, egusi sauce and a chard, kale and tomato salad for the main; and a puff-puff cake with vegan crème fraîche, fermented berries and edible flowers for dessert.
Tickets are £45 per person, limited to 20 diners, and the supper is entirely outdoors – leave the Louboutins at home. Ngwafu’s work with vegan catering company Gwafuvegan champions affordable plant‑based West African food, using local, seasonal produce and minimising waste.
This is something more than a typical meal out. Northern Roots is all about urban regeneration in action – from heritage paths to regenerative agriculture – while dining with like-minded folk. It’s a small, intimate gathering, based on big ideas: farm, soil and community.
Price: £25 for local residents and £30 for the general public.
