About Us

The Brighton & Hove Food Partnership puts food at the heart of all we do. Growing food, cooking and eating are great ways to improve people’s lives.

For over fifteen years we have been working with food to engage with people. We are at the forefront of a global movement, which aims to bring people back to the basic message that good food is a right for all, brings power and energy to everyone and is a joy to be shared.

Vic Borrill, Director of the Food Partnership

The Food Partnership was started by local residents in 2003, and our committed team of staff & volunteers deliver a range of food projects which have helped over 15,000 local people learn to cook, grow their own food, eat a healthier diet and waste less. Eating is central to life’s celebrations and memories, and our approach is to use this power of food to bring about change. Much of our work benefits vulnerable adults and people experiencing deprivation, isolation, poor health and other life challenges. Our activities makes lasting changes to habits and behaviours which improve lives.

We’re a not-for-profit organisation and we work with a wide range of partners including community organisations, statutory agencies, local businesses and individual residents. Our work has been recognised by independent bodies – most recently awarded ‘Non profit of the year’ 2019 at the Brighton & Hove Business Awards, ‘Team of the Year’ at the Cost Sector Catering Awards 2019 and the ‘Community Benefit Award’ at the 2019 Southeast RICS awards for the build project to create the Community Kitchen. We led Brighton & Hove’s successful submission for ‘Gold Sustainable Food City’ status. We hold the PQASSO Level 2 quality mark, and are proud to be a Living Wage employer.

The Food Partnership is grateful to its current funders for supporting this work: the Big Lottery Fund, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Fonthill Foundation, Sussex Community Foundation, Brighton & Hove CCG and Brighton & Hove City Council. Find out more about some of our activities below.

Cooking for fun

We want to inspire everyone to cook more from scratch – from beginners to experienced cooks. We can help you learn new recipes and techniques, or just brush up on your culinary skills. Anyone can discover the satisfaction of preparing a tasty meal from simple ingredients at our new Community Kitchen on Queens Road.

Community gardens

Join a community garden to make friends and get fitter – we help people get involved with community fruit and veg gardens around Brighton and Hove and the surrounding areas.  Spending time outside, enjoying fresh air, watching things grow and spending time with others enhances wellbeing, mental health as well as physical health.

Affordable food

Many people are worried about having enough money to buy food. We support food banks and affordable food projects that are working to give everyone choice, dignity and good food to eat. We also connect people with places they can enjoy tasty, affordable meals with others.

Tackling food waste

We work to tackle food waste with advice from cutting back on the supermarket spend or intercepting food destined for landfill and giving it to those most in need. We also enable people who live in flats to join community composting schemes.

 

The team

Food Partnership staff cheering in their office Meet the team who make it all possible

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