Canteen shows Frome’s appetite for delicious, affordable food

“Wonderful food”, “great value”, and “good company” are some of the reviews from Frome Food Network’s (FFN) first pay-what-you-can community restaurant that popped-up at the Holy Trinity Hall last Friday, October 25. 

The event was hailed a resounding success by FFN, with 128 meals served in just two hours. The full breakdown of the cost of a meal (£8.61) including staff wages and venue costs was displayed by the till, so that diners could make an informed decision about how much to pay. Due to the generosity of so many, the average payment worked out at £9.87, meaning the surplus will be able to cover 13 free meals, or allow many others to pay under the cost price at the next event on 15th November.

The event is one of two set up by Frome Food Network to test the appetite for such an initiative in the town in offering wider access to responsibly-sourced, well-cooked, and delicious food, and bridging the gap between local food and local people.

From babies to octogenarians there was a wide range of diners who came to the restaurant, including some very excited children who were ravenous after school. 

Frome Food Network Founder and Canteen Coordinator Hugh Thomas said: “We are amazed by the feedback from our first Canteen, and the numbers we got were unprecedented – we sold out within two hours. It was brilliant to see so many people from across the town and it was great to see children getting stuck into the same food their parents were enjoying.

“We were especially pleased to serve 22 people who came solo and told us they had a lovely time chatting to new people. ” 

Canteen’s dishes are based around seasonal produce sourced from local, regenerative, and ethical suppliers such as Vallis Veg, Meadowsweet Beef, and Dowding’s. The first event saw 137.5 kgs of hyper-local ingredients prepped and served and 90 litres of food waste destined for community compost courtesy of Loop.

Canteen is inspired by projects and concepts such as The Long Table in Stroud and is the product of a Frome Food Network 2024 residency with Future Shed, which offers practical support to get green and healthy initiatives and enterprises off the ground. Future Shed is part of the Green & Healthy Frome partnership programme of Edventure, Frome Medical Practice and Frome Town Council.
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The next Canteen pay-what-you-can community restaurant is on 15th November 2024 at The Holy Trinity Church. Food served from 5pm to 8pm (or until it runs out).

Further information about Canteen and the Frome Food Network can be found at https://www.fromefoodnetwork.co.uk/canteen.