London’s first edible insect farm has arrived, and hopes to change people’s attitudes towards eating bugs.
Horizon Edible Insects is a company which runs an insect farm in the capital. While farms often conjure up images of rolling hills and rustic barns, this urban operation is found inside a semi-detached house in the leafy neighbourhood of Ealing.
The farm offers guided tours to curious Londoners, as well as insect cookery classes where you can learn how to incorporate bugs into your daily diet. Horizon Edible Insects is keen to shift people’s attitudes towards consuming insects, and presents them as a sustainable answer to the increasingly relevant problem of overpopulation matched with a lack of available food.
London restaurants which serve insects include Mayfair's Ella Canta
Much has been made of the fact that we may face food shortages if the population keeps increasing at its current rate, and insects have been put forth as a viable alternative to more traditional meat, mainly because they can be farmed using relatively little space and because they feed on food waste. Insects might also be better for you internally, as they supposedly contain more zinc, calcium and magnesium than your average cut of beef.
During Horizon’s Edible Insect tours, guests are treated to a tour of the facilities, before partaking in an insect cookery class. Visitors will learn how to make a three-course meal, featuring dishes such as tacos stuffed with fried crickets, burger patties made using blanched mealworms as well as beef, and a cake for dessert which has been baked with flour which is made from ground worms.
Horizon’s Edible Insect Farm tours are priced at £25 per person and take place on a periodic basis. The next available tour takes place on Saturday 6 July and tickets are available from Horizon’s website.
If you’re curious to try out insects for your dinner, check out these London restaurants where you can eat insects.