Creating a Welcoming Environment

Our evening community kitchen is open to everyone, with different backgrounds and circumstances. The group were keen to create a welcoming and safe environment, where everyone felt respected and followed boundaries to keep a positive atmosphere. We developed a set of guidelines for respecting the space, our staff and volunteers, and other guests. And we implemented guidance on seating arrangements and layouts so that everyone felt comfortable taking a seat and meeting other guests.

Food that’s Suitable for Everyone

Guests fed back on our menu to make sure that it suited everyone. We toned down our spice levels or created a flexible spice range, ensured that our soup was piping hot, and that meals were balanced. We also developed the way that tables come up for food so that everyone can eat hot meals in way that’s fair to everyone.

Gathering Wider Feedback

The Community Kitchen steering group really valued the chance to give feedback and understand more about our current processes. We wanted to expand the feedback and ideas to a wider selection of guests that might not be able to join the sessions. Therefore, we implemented a feedback box so that all guests can make comments and we can continue striving for excellence in the service we provide.

Food Festivals

Our steering groups wanted us to embrace different cultures and festivals to make our spaces welcoming, open and inclusive. We’ve celebrated Remembrance Day, Black History Month, and Diwali through special community kitchen evenings with specialised menus and decorations. As well as being fun and delicious, these meals have cultivated a sense of the wider community, bringing people of different cultures, traditions, and backgrounds together for an evening meal.