THERE will be plenty of food for thought at a host of free foodie events being staged as part of the Bournemouth University’s Festival of Learning taking place next month.

Find out what to do with your food waste, discover more about local food and drink producers as well as how to create tasty dishes using sustainable fish.

There will also be the chance to try more unconventional foods during a Bug Grub event, which will explore the alternative food sources we may have to turn to as the world’s population grows and popular protein sources run out.

Sean Beer, a senior lecturer in BU’s School of Tourism, will be running two fun food-themed events – Don’t Eat Poo and Die, Eat Poo and Live, which looks at the foods we choose not to eat, and Too Hot To Trot, which will explore why we eat foods that cause us pain. Sean said: “Don’t Eat Poo and Die, Eat Poo and Live is about the different foods that we choose to eat and not eat and why we do that – the reasons and sociology behind it.

“With Too Hot to Trot, I’ll be looking at why we eat things that hurt us, like hot chillis.

“What’s the physiology behind our taste of heat, why do we like to taste it, and what really is it all about with all those hot curries.”

Sean Beer told the Echo civet coffee is made from beans that have been digested and excreted by the civet weasel during his Don’t Eat Poo And Die event at last year’s Festival of Learning.

There will also be a local food market in the courtyard area of BU’s Talbot Campus on Monday June 9, with stalls featuring food and drink from across Dorset.

The Festival of Learning runs from Monday, June 9 to Sunda,y June 15, with more than 150 free events and activities that are open to all.

To find out more, or to book onto an event, visit bournemouth.ac.uk/fol or call 01202 962362.