ABOUT US

The first chairman of Bermondsey Community Kitchen opened a café in Bermondsey and during its operation had the vision for some form of project to enable the youth to gain qualifications and gain employment. From this idea came the opportunity to open a cookery school in the upstairs area of the café which was derelict. 

A local charity was approached called United Saint Saviours, who are based in North Southwark, for funding. The chairman with the aid of family, friends and volunteers began renovating the upstairs of the café and once complete, United Saint Saviours gave a grant of £50,000 to supply all equipment needed to begin the cooking classes. 

Bermondsey Community Kitchen became a centre of City and Guilds organisation and training began. Our other programs followed one each year thereafter as interest grew from charity groups, TRA‘s, church groups and many others. We are completely grant funded and have only one full-time employee along with the professional cookery trainer who had to be City and Guilds approved and was privately funded. 

Originally we was called Bermondsey Community Kitchen but this led to the belief that we were only operating in SE16 although we took any applicants from further afield. This has prompted us to now be called the London Community Kitchen to attract students from any of the London boroughs.

During the last couple of years the Covid pandemic made it impossible to operate therefore the chair and family members began cooking healthy nutritional dinners for the elderly and vulnerable making and delivering over 500 portions per week, making over several thousand meals each year, which went into local clubs like churches and TRA tenant associations for distribution to the most affected by Covid. We have continued this service after covid related restrictions were lifted and we will carry on with this much-needed community project as long as funding continues. Again all dinners are free and are sometimes the only meal of the day that our participants including the elderly receive. 

Please use the contact form here to get in touch for information regarding any of our projects or kitchen hire.