The Brixton People's Kitchen is based on the simple belief that sharing food with strangers is one of the nicest ways to spread happiness. And if the food is free, and has been saved from going to waste, it makes it even tastier.
Brixton People's Kitchen aims at reducing food waste, encouraging social interactions between neighbours, and growing people's creative confidence through cooking. Volunteers collect food surplus from local shops and markets, invite local people to cook together on our bycicle kitchen, and welcome everyone to enjoy a delicious meal with each other.
We’ve been running events all around South London for the last three years in places from parks to One O’Clock Clubs to community festivals. Along the way, we’ve saved at least a baby elephant’s worth of food waste, and had a lot of fun along the way. We’ve been featured on Al Jazeera, The Guardian, South London Press and many more. In 2013, we were finalists in Nesta’s Waste Reduction Challenge Prize.
I set up the Brixton People's Kitchen after completing my MA in Design for Development. My major project was an exploration of how local food systems can be used to engage culturally and socially diverse communities around sustainability issues.
This report is a detailed account of initial research undertaken between July and September 2011. It has been conducted as an open-ended and entrepreneurial investigation into local food systems and social networks. It has also been informed by existing initiatives that have positively approached similar issues.