ABSTRACT
The aim of this book chapter is to elaborate on the meaning and impact of commensality in public places among individuals living in the same neighbourhood and whose relations go beyond kinship. Our case study is The Big Lunch, an annual event organised by the Eden Project educational charity, which in 2022 was a part of the official celebrations of HM The Queen Elisabeth II Platinum Jubilee. We look at the food sharing and eating together practices during this important event in the history of the UK and the Crown by analysing The Big Lunch 2022 quantitative and qualitative survey data. We demonstrate how commensality contributes to creating shared identity, local and national sense of belonging, integration of diverse communities and reconnecting the country after the Covid-19 pandemic.
