Communities Fund provided £790 of match funding
A Community Kitchen for a Better Future
London, England, United Kingdom
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Your donation unlocks match funding
Aim
Help us keep our community kitchen cooking and our doors open to those who need it most.
Made In Hackney is a pioneering community cookery school and charity. For over 14 years, we have been working to tackle food poverty, health inequalities, social isolation and the environmental impacts of our food system.
We have reached over half a million people through nutritious food, practical cookery education and welcoming community spaces that strengthen local resilience and equip people with the skills and connections they need to navigate everyday challenges and thrive.
Yet the need for inclusive, community-centred food programmes remains high.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO:
Behind every statistic there is a neighbour struggling to put food on the table.
Our local community continues to experience some of the highest poverty rates in London, with 40% of children in Hackney living in income-deprived households, alongside 76% of older residents. Financial pressures go hand in hand with rising food insecurity, with over one in ten UK households reporting skipping meals because they cannot afford more.
When your household budgets are stretched, food is often where difficult choices have to be made. People may have to choose between buying food and paying for energy, transport or other essentials. On top of this, those on lower incomes are more likely to be over-exposed to cheaper, highly processed foods.
Poor health can reinforce the cycle of poverty, exclusion and marginalisation, making it even harder for people to feel well, connected and in control of their lives.
OUR VISION:
We envision a future where everyone can access and enjoy nutritious food, whatever their circumstances or income — and where people are empowered to take greater control over what they eat, how they spend their money and the systems that shape their choices.
To make this vision a reality, our approach starts with what people can afford, the food cultures they know and the equipment they have available. We know that food literacy can make a real difference when money is tight.
Our programmes have covered:
- Making your food go further — batch cook and prepare multiple portions to save time and stretch ingredients.
- Planning before you shop — plan meals around what you already have, buy only what you need and make your budget work harder.
- Cooking from scratch — build confidence using simple, nutritious whole foods and everyday ingredients.
- Saving energy and time — use one-pot meals to reduce cooking time, energy use and washing up.
- Cooking flexibly — adapt recipes and swap ingredients based on what you have, what you can afford and what is available.
- Using every ingredient — turn leftovers and surplus food into new meals, reducing waste and avoiding unnecessary spending.
We pioneer the power of plants, showing how affordable vegetables, beans, pulses, grains and other everyday foods can become nutritious, delicious and satisfying meals. Because plant-rich food is the food of the future, and should be an affordable and enjoyable choice for everyone, not a luxury.
WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR COMMUNITY KITCHEN?
Our kitchen is a place where people can build confidence, gain a sense of agency and take practical control over something as fundamental as feeding themselves and their families well.
At the heart of our programmes are people and communities most affected by food insecurity, poverty, health inequalities and social injustice. We work with low-income families and households, people living with long-term health conditions, underserved young people, carers and care leavers, refugees and people seeking asylum, older people, and those experiencing social isolation.
Our activities include:
Nutritious Food Provision, Cooked Together:
Every week, our Community Made programme brings people together to batch cook nutritious food for themselves and for neighbours who are housebound, isolated or face barriers to accessing healthy food. Around 10,000 free meals are delivered each year, using approximately 600kg of surplus and donated food. It means good food reaches people who need it while ingredients are put to use rather than wasted.
Accessible and Inclusive Education
Our free cookery classes, led by experienced professional chefs, help people feed themselves and their families on a limited budget. Trusted local charities and referral partners connect us with households facing financial hardship, long-term health conditions and isolation.
Pay-what-you-can sessions open our kitchen to people beyond these referral routes. Participants learn to plan affordable meals, make the most of ingredients and turn leftovers into another meal. Batch cooking, one-pot recipes and safe food storage help stretch budgets, reduce waste and manage cooking costs, building confidence that lasts beyond the class. Just as importantly, people learn together in a safe, inclusive and joyful space where supportive relationships can develop.
Eating and Sipping Together
Our Community Feasts and Communi-Tea Mondays bring people together to share food, celebrate our residents’ cultures and build relationships across ages and backgrounds. Having somewhere welcoming to go, eat well and connect with others can matter just as much as the food itself.
Volunteering
Each year, our programmes create more than 150 supported volunteering opportunities, helping people build skills, confidence and new pathways. Nearly half of our volunteers are former class participants. It creates a pathway from receiving support to developing skills, contributing to the community and supporting others.
OUR IMPACT
People come to our kitchen in all sorts of circumstances. Whatever brings them through the door, they leave with a full stomach, new skills, more confidence and, often, new people in their lives.
Here’s what some of our participants have told us:
“Thank you for continuing to offer me this opportunity. It is a lifeline for someone who lives alone on a limited budget.”
“It was such a great way to get to know my neighbours and it was incredibly generous to offer it for free. I ate so much healthier during the days I took this class, and I felt like I had a better understanding of how to cook for myself on a budget without spending hours in the kitchen. Thank you!”
A recipe learned here can become a family meal at home. A new way of planning meals can help a household make food go further. Learning to cook more with affordable ingredients can reduce reliance on expensive convenience food. Learning to use leftovers can mean less food — and less money — is wasted.
“What I learned here actually helped me make sense of the information I was given elsewhere. This fills the gap – it’s hands-on and it’s real”
HELP US KEEP THE KITCHEN COOKING
With the cost of living continuing to put pressure on household budgets, healthy food increasingly out of reach for many people, and food bank use at record levels, putting a nourishing meal on the table can become a daily worry.
That’s where our kitchen comes in. Your donation helps create a space where people can learn, cook, share food and build the skills and confidence to eat well — helping people feel more in control of feeding themselves and their families.
In our kitchen:
- A parent turns affordable ingredients into several nourishing meals.
- Someone living with a long-term health condition learns how simple whole foods can support their conditions.
- A young person discovers they can cook from scratch.
- Someone feeling isolated finds connection around a shared meal — a conversation, a friendship and the reassurance that they’re not alone.
Your donation helps make these moments possible. It supports the ingredients, classes, community meals and welcoming kitchen spaces where people can learn practical skills, build confidence and connect with others.
Please donate today if you can. Every gift helps more people eat well on a budget, build confidence and feel more in control.
Can’t donate? You can still help. Share our campaign, come to a class, volunteer, join a Community Feast, cook with us or tell someone about Made in Hackney.
Thank you for being part of our community.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 2nd December 2026 at 4:54pm