Meet the culinary changemakers

From time immemorial, food has not only defined the way we live our lives but has also been a catalyst for change. From the prehistoric hunter-gatherers to the dawn of the industrial revolution to the birth of veganism, food has transformed landscapes, societies and people. The UK food and drink industry currently generates around £121 billion annually and employs over four million people. At the epicentre of this booming industry is London. The multicultural city is bursting in culinary diversity, from Michelin-starred joints to buzzy street markets and artisanal cafés – some would say the city, its residents, and its tourists are spoilt for choice. 

However, this melting pot of a metropolis is not accessible to just anyone who lives on its doorstep. Poverty remains higher in London than in other parts of the country, standing at 27 per cent (after housing costs). More than 2.3 million Londoners live below the poverty line, and far too many still suffer from food insecurity. Yet, if you look closer, food-based social enterprises are working to fix every rip and tear in London’s social fabric. From cookery classes to catering and baking, culinary-based enterprises are trying to deliver a powerful social impact through offering Londoners life-changing food.

Here are some of the innovative women working behind-the-scenes: 

Migrateful founded by Jess Thompson 

Founded in 2017, Migrateful is a cookery and language initiative where asylum seekers, refugees and migrants teach their traditional cuisines to the general public. The charity trains refugee and migrant chefs through weekly online workshops where trainee chefs take turns teaching the rest of the group how to cook their traditional cuisine. When chefs feel ready, they can deliver cooking classes to paying customers. Pre-pandemic, these classes were in-person, but over the past year, they have been held virtually. 

Jess Thompson founded Migrateful after she had worked with refugees: “I was teaching English to a group of refugee women in East London, and I realised that a big issue for refugees trying to rebuild their lives is the fact it’s so hard to access employment,” she says. “Fifty per cent of refugees living in the UK are unemployed despite being qualified. These are women from Iraq, and Syria, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, every single one of them talked about how they’d love to teach their community to cook because cooking is something they feel confident about.” Thompson had a light-bulb moment and realised that cooking lessons could be used as a means in which refugees can impart their skills, improve their English and feel as if they are giving back to the community.

Migrateful currently has chefs from over 25 countries, including Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Albania, Gambia and Cuba – all of whom are trained to teach their unique cuisines easily with engaging classes. Dishes range from: Cuban Quimbombó (okra stew served with fried plantain), Nigerian Jollof rice, Iranian Kashk-o-Bademjan (aubergine with khask) to Syrian Roz Bazlia (Lamb rice with peas) to Ecuadorean Ceviche de Camarón (shrimp ceviche). 

“The thing I realised with food is that it’s something that unites all of us,” Thompson says.  “Cooking is something everyone can connect over, and I think especially in today’s UK society where there is a lot of resentment toward the migration population, this is something that becomes a very positive way to present migration.”

Book a class at Migrateful here.

Luminary Bakery founded by Alice Williams 

The Luminary Bakery is a social enterprise that was founded in 2014, designed to offer opportunities for women at a social and economic disadvantage. The idea is to offer baking as a tool to take women on a journey to employability and entrepreneurship, providing them with transferable skills for the working world. 

Alice Williams first came up with the idea back in 2013, working in a café and volunteering in East London. It was here that Williams first met homeless women who were caught up in the sex industry. Realising their potential but the lack of opportunity, Williams set up the Luminary Bakery as “a place, where through holistic training, employability, and community women can change the trajectory of their lives.” As well as helping break the cycles of poverty, violence and disadvantage. 

Of the 90 women Luminary has supported to date, 96 per cent had experienced gender-based violence, 79 per cent had experienced homelessness, 34 per cent had been involved in the criminal justice system, and 15 per cent were care leavers. 

The Luminary business model starts when a woman is referred to the bakery when she is in recovery and looking for work. Women then enrol on the 12 months “Employability & Independence Training Programme” to learn baking, life and employability skills. Throughout the year, they are supported and prepared for employment and can apply for paid apprenticeships or employment within the Luminary Bakery business – or with their partner organisations. And the results speak for themselves; since working at Luminary, 88 per cent of trainees completed the employability and independence programme, and 13 Luminary graduates have created their own businesses.  

Luminary offers everything from celebration cakes in flavours like almond, cherry and chocolate, lemon and blueberry, sticky toffee and fig, and letterbox brownies.

You can order the Bakery’s products here.

Luminary’s first-ever cookbook, Rising Hope, was released in August and combines delicious recipes with stories from the Bakery and the women Luminary helped empower. It has a mouth-watering range of recipes: shortbread with an espresso twist, rye chocolate cupcakes with orange frosting, cinnamon swirls and feta, caramelised red onion and thyme quiche.

You can buy Rising Hope here.

Fat Macy’s founded by Meg Doherty 

Fat Macy’s was founded in March 2016 as a social enterprise and catering company to help young Londoners in temporary accommodation move into their own place. Fat Macy’s offers everything from delicious home-cooked food to dining experiences at supper clubs and events.

Meg Doherty first came up with the innovative scheme after witnessing first-hand the issues young residents at YMCA London were having: “Young people living in YMCA and other supported accommodation often struggle to move into their own homes because they don’t have enough money for a deposit and don’t have secure employment that will allow them to pay their rent in the long term,” Doherty says.

Since 2010 there has been a 50 per cent rise in homelessness in England, and as Doherty explains, one of the main issues is that those living in temporary accommodation are finding it increasingly challenging to save money to move into their own homes. “Fat Macy’s is trying to combat this in two ways”, Doherty says. “First, by training residents in the qualifications they may need for work and secondly, by giving them a helping hand in saving for that all-important deposit.” 

From volunteering with Fat Macy’s, Londoners can accumulate credit for each hour worked and after 150 hours, they can become eligible for a housing deposit grant to put towards a flat. “The young people we have worked with have shown us that they really want to rebuild their lives, gain new skills and live independently. I have been inspired by so many of their stories and their commitment to our programme,” Doherty says.  

Fat Macy’s is quickly becoming the social enterprise caterer in London and encapsulates ‘catering with a conscience’. While catering – as we knew it – remains on hold, Fat Macy’s now offers a seasonal menu to order from home. They are currently offering an Easter 3 course meal, including Cheese sambousek, spinach fatayer, labneh and chilli butter, slow-cooked lamb, tahini marinated celeriac steak, a chocolate torte and cardamom cream. 

Order Fat Macy’s from home here.