The pioneering social enterprise Brixton People’s Kitchen is joining a university and a vegan caterer and educator to create an event exploring food and its links to the legacies of colonialism and the transatlantic trade in enslaved people.
With the department of information studies at University College London (UCL) and SisterWoman Ltd, it will present Roots & Recipes – a day of shared meals, workshops, and dialogue.
The event is part of Sloane Lab: Looking back to build future shared cultural heritage, a project funded by the official body UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and led by UCL.
The project is digitally listing and reconnecting items amassed by the Irish physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753).
His collection of 7,000 objects formed the foundation of major institutions including London’s British Museum and Natural History Museum.
The project looks at the colonial wealth that enabled collection’s creation, particularly through links to the transatlantic trade in enslaved people.
According to Wikipedia, Sloane is credited with the invention of chocolate milk, but it is more likely that he learned to add milk to drinking chocolate while living in Jamaica
Organisers of the event said that both Brixton People’s Kitchen and UCL recognise the importance of addressing the history involved with “honesty, care, and a deep commitment to community”.
Roots & Recipes will offer an opportunity to connect these legacies to the lived experiences of contemporary communities, particularly those of Jamaican and Caribbean heritage.
By preparing and sharing meals inspired by ingredients found in historical archives, the event is designed to create “a powerful space for reflection, storytelling, and cultural reconnection”, using food as a bridge between past and present.
Roots & Recipes: Exploring the Legacy of Colonialism Through Food takes place at the Brixton People’s Kitchen Café, Lambeth Walk on Sunday 20 July from 10.30am to 7pm.
Different sections will cater for all members of the community:
Children’s cooking workshop (morning): hands-on sessions with heritage ingredients, sensory play, and storytelling through food. Plus sensory workshops exploring taste, smell, touch, and memory using plants and ingredients from the Sloane collection. Includes making cacao “bliss balls”.
Interactive heritage session (afternoon): a presentation and workshop led by UCL, introducing the digital Sloane archive and inviting public engagement.
Shared community meal (evening): a nourishing, plant-based menu created by Safiya Robinson (SisterWoman Vegan), followed by a conversation on food, culture, and ancestral memory.
“Through food, we remember, we resist, and we reconnect. This is about community, culture, and care,” said Safiya Robinson.
Kemi Akinola, CEO of Brixton People’s Kitchen said Roots & Recipes ”is about bringing people together to have honest conversations, using food as a way to explore our histories and celebrate cultural resilience. It’s a moment for connection, reflection, and joy.”
Roots & Recipes is open to all and will especially welcome families, local residents, educators, and anyone interested in heritage, cultural identity, and food justice.
Sign up …
Children’s cooking workshop: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepefLQF4uwF5jADfUOeNhBpsl-HY_1HcPCwWWoWw5mXbDANw/viewform?usp=dialog
Archiving session and free community meal: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/roots-and-recipes-tickets-1443410984109?aff=oddtdtcreator
Brixton People’s Kitchen (BPK) began in Brixton in 2011 due to the lack of social cohesion and places for local people to come together, share ideas, and learn from each other.
Horrified by the amount of domestic food waste, its founders developed community lunches in car parks, parks, schools, and anywhere people could congregate, cook and converse.
Since then, BPK has built a kitchen on a bicycle, run several community pop-ups and opned an elder people’s cafe. It is now based in Vauxhall after it was unable to secure a place in Brixton due to high rents.
BPK works with its local community and in Lambeth and across South London, ensuring as many people as possible have access to a good meal and decent conversation.
