Brixton People’s Kitchen: Eat together and banish waste

By Natasha Miles

Last weekend saw the most recent instalment of the Brixton People’s Kitchen, a project that aims to bring strangers together to eat while reducing food waste.

The Kitchen, launched in December, is the offspring of The People’s Kitchen, Dalston. The premise of these projects is to help reduce food waste in the community and anyone can join the event by donating food, cooking or turning up just to eat.

Brixton resident, Fan Sissoko, is one of the key organisers and a self-proclaimed food obsessive.

She got involved in the project when studying for her MA in design and sustainability last year and her interests lay in the role food plays in its connection with people.

Food is a language that people use to say something about themselves by what they eat,” said Fan Sissoko

She added: “The aim of the Brixton People’s Kitchen is to bring people together to cook a community meal from food surplus.”

The surplus food donated so far has been from local shops like As Nature Intended, Bonningtons, Co-op and the generous contributions of others.

The immediate aims of the Brixton People’s Kitchen is to go from running on a monthly basis to weekly like its Dalston counterpart, and to provide training and workshops on topics such as food safety.

Fan gives us three tips on how we can help reduce food waste in our homes.

1. If you live with other people try to cook as group.
2. When using raw ingredients use as much of it as possible, trying not to throw anything away.
3. Soft bendy carrots can be perfectly good to eat just place in a bowl of water, it helps to refresh and firm them back up.

And a bonus recipe too:

“Don’t waste the peel from potato skins – just add a little oil, salt, pepper and herbs if you have any and roast on a high temperature oven till crisp.”

The next Brixton People’s Kitchen will take place at Myatt’s Fields Park, Cormont Road, on Sunday 11 March from 11am to 5pm.

To volunteer, donate or both email: brixtonfoodwaste@gmail.com for more information.

Natasha Miles blogs at Food I Fancy .