Square Food Foundation

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Square Food Foundation

Square Food Foundation is 10 years old! As a registered charity, we use food and cooking to reduce hunger, improve health and bring people together.

Bristol's Cookery School & Community Kitchen, Square Food Foundation teaches adults and children of all ages, abilities and from all walks of life to cook good from scratch. We've been tackling food poverty in Bristol and teaching people to cook healthy food from scratch at our home in Knowle West since 2011. Visit www.squarefoodfoundation.co.uk for more information

31/10/2025

Square Food Foundation are supporting ’s crowdfunder!

They need £50,000 to keep their farm gates open after 15 years of building a better local food system: growing climate-friendly food, supporting nature, and bringing thousands of people together to learn, connect, and take action for a better future! Due to a sharp drop in grant funding they are now at risk of closure. Please support them and share.

For years, SFF learners have reaped the benefits of spending time at The Community Farm. The farm gives people the chance to see food being grown, to understand where it comes from and learn about the farm's sustainable approach to food. All factors that are such an important part of our work at SFF, too. Our trips to the farm always include cooking up something delicious - leek and courgette flamiche! - in the farm's beautiful roundhouse.

As one of our How To Be A Chef graduates, Sarah, says:

"It’s such a relaxing place to be. I love the view of the lake. But what I love the most is the understanding it has given me about where food comes from. Now when Stu (Sarah’s Head Chef) comes into the kitchen with a crate of vegetables I don’t take it for granted. I know how much work goes into growing thanks to my time on the farm."

Please help keep the farm gates open by supporting The Community Farm's crowdfunder however you can. Like and share this post and if you are able to donate please follow the link in bio.

Thank you 💛

Jenny Smith

Pronunciation: jeh-nee

Pronouns: she/her

Head of Communications and Impact

My working pattern is: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9-5pm

26/08/2025

▶️ Are you 16-25?

▶️ Not in education, full-time employment or training?

▶️ Interested in food and cooking?

▶️ Curious about what working in the hospitality industry might be like?

🎉 Applications for Square Food Foundation's How To Be A Chef course are open NOW!

🎓 Graduates from the course explain that the How To Be A Chef course "changed my life, literally" and they "know myself better as a person".

⏲️ This 12-week course starts on Wednesday 24th September. It runs every Wednesday and Thursday, 10am - 4pm until Thursday 18th December. There's a short break over the October half term.

🥘 You'll learn how to cook a wide range of delicious food, experience workshops with guest chefs as well as Square Food Foundation's expert teachers. Be inspired by visits to local producers and restaurants. The course provides valuable support with career opportunities and carving out next steps once the course is over.

🔗 Does this sound like an exciting opportunity for you or someone you know? Follow the link https://buff.ly/yxgBatH to apply.

If you know someone who would love to be a part of this course please like and share this post! Thank you 🌟

21/08/2025

🌟 Are you an aspiring or experienced mentor?

🫶 Square Food Foundation (SFF) are offering a rewarding opportunity to support students on our How To Be A Chef (HTBAC) programme.

🔎 The focus of the mentor's role is to provide guidance and support for our HTBAC graduates as the transition to their next step. It may be finding work or exploring another qualification. Young people may have their own ideas, but unsure how to develop them. Or they may be lacking in confidence about how or where to start thinking about their next steps.

🧭 As a mentor you will help them navigate that journey and guide them to find a next step that is best suited for their needs.

👨‍🍳 The mentees are young people aged between 16-25 who are not in education, full-time employment or training. They are at a transition point in their lives and have decided SFF's How To Be A Chef course is the right opportunity for them. They may feel confident they'd like to pursue a career in the hospitality industry, or they may just need to space to develop new skills and meet other young people.

🍛 How To Be A Chef is a 12-week programme where students have the opportunity to learn from our expert teachers, guest chefs, visit inspiring local restaurants, producers and growers. They are welcomed into the Square Food Foundation kitchen where they are encouraged to progress their cooking skills, but also develop their confidence and feel safe to be themselves.

🌟 If you are motivated and excited at the opportunity to mentor one of our How To Be A Chef students Square Food Foundation would love to hear from you.

🔗 Please follow the link to learn more an apply ▶️ https://buff.ly/tPJF5sW

04/07/2025

📣We have three exciting opportunities to join the Square Food Foundation team.

🥘Cookery Teacher and Kitchen Manager
🍛Operations Assistant
🥙Project Coordinator

💫 It's a really exciting time to be a part of the team here at Square Food Foundation. We would love to hear from people who are passionate about working to empower people through food and cooking.

⏳All applications must be submitted by 9am, Monday 21st July.

🔗Click here https://www.squarefoodfoundation.co.uk/jobs to find the job pack and application form.

19/06/2025

📣 "Food Education must become a central part of the school experience, normalised alongside Maths, English and PE."

🍳 Food education is central to our work at Square Food Foundation. We're working towards a school experience where every child learns to cook, just as they learn to read and write. So, we were delighted to be invited to event at School of Food to talk about the vital subject of "Reframing Food Education".

👩‍🍳 For Charlotte Fife, Head of Food Education at Square Food Foundation, the highlight of the day was:

📣"Feeling the collective power that individual organisations have when we come together. Being reminded how impactful our work at grassroots level is; sharing food education where it matters and is needed. Hearing from Jones, , opening speaker, and the panel talk about unlocking the power of food education in schools was inspiring and motivating."

💫 The day included exciting workshops, showcasing Taste Ed's curriculum, highlighting how fun and impactful sensory learning can be for children:

😋"Taking away one of our senses to focus on taste and sight highlighted clever ways to engage with children food. We're looking forward to implementing some of these ideas in our classes at Square Food Foundation."

🫶 Thank you so much to Taste Ed and Hackney School of Food for this inspiring day.

👉 Make sure you're following Square Food Foundation and to keep up to date with our collective mission to reframe food education.

🔗Visit our website to discover how you can support our work and empower people through food and cooking: https://buff.ly/jinRkQN

06/06/2025

💛 Thank you, thank you, thank you!!💛
.. To our amazing crew of volunteers!

🎉 It's Volunteers Week (2nd-8th June) and we couldn't let it pass without recognising the incredible impact that volunteers have at Square Food Foundation!

Want to know how volunteers have supported our work this year?

🍽️They've packed 2,780 recipe kits
🍛This is the equivalent of 11,120 meals for families experiencing food insecurity
🫶They've supported our teachers to deliver 83 cooking sessions to our community
⌚They've collectively donated 1,040 hours of their time

They keep our garden blooming, our pots and glasses gleaming, and our meal kits rolling, among many other vital tasks! They embrace they joy and warmth of the kitchen and make sure that everyone who is a part of our community feels that too.

📣 As Dan Ford, Kitchen Manager, puts it:

"I love the volunteers because of the mega energy they bring. They’re all so happy to support Square Food Foundation in any way possible. From breaking down bulbs of garlic to weighing out 50 kilos of rice, they do everything with a smile. I always say we couldn’t support nearly as many people as we do without the support of our incredible volunteers."

🫶 From all of us at Square Food Foundation, a huge heartfelt thank you to all our incredible volunteers.

👉 If you're interested in volunteering and becoming a part of the Square Food Foundation magic we would love to hear from you. Send us a DM or email volunteers@squarefoodfoundation.co.uk

25/04/2025

📣 What does good food mean to you?

A simple, quick stir-fry? A hearty slow-cooked stew? Peace and quiet or kitchen disco-chaos?

We're all about good food at Square Food and love Bristol Good Food 2030's April campaign, which asks "What does good food mean to you?"

🍛 Here's what good food means to some of the Square Food team:

💛 "I feel something! Feeling cared for with something baked or shared by a friend. Feeling nostalgic for holidays with my Dad and his corned beef hash. Feeling the satisfaction of eating food I've just picked from the ground. It feels impossible not to feel big feelings around food!"

💛 "Delicious, healthy (though not a deal breaker), local, seasonal, and affordable if possible. But probably most importantly, thoughtful. You can taste when a lot of love has gone into something."

💛 "A way of bringing people together. Seasonal and locally grown, if possible. Served in the middle of the table. Where everyone has choice over what they have, how much they have and can make the flavour combinations they want."

💛 "Cooked from scratch, cooked with love. Cooked with fresh, local ingredients. Simple and resourceful, or an inspiring feast. Something to look forward to, something best enjoyed with family and friends."

👉 Over to you... We'd love to know what good food means to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

17/04/2025

🌟 What a night! Three weeks ago the Anti-banquet treated us to an epic evening of food and dancing, all the while championing the incredible organisations dedicated to creating a more equitable food future for everyone.

🫶 A huge thank you to Bristol Beer Factory and Arthur David, Food With Service for hosting us, and to everyone who made this inspiring event happen, including Team Canteen, We Are Plaster, Josh Eggleton and Bianchis. All funds raised from this fantastic evening will be distributed to charities who work to reduce food insecurity in Bristol.

🎉 It was an extra special evening for Square Food Foundation because Sarah Walsh, a graduate from our How To Be A Chef programme, curated the starter for the Anti-banquet. What an incredible opportunity! She got to work with the amazing chefs Nutmeg and Catley's who designed the main course and dessert.

🧑‍🍳 Sarah's delicious 'A Proper Bristol Picnic Mind' represented food memories from her childhood, and highlights from her time on the How To Be A Chef programme, including:

- A homemade picnic is her earliest childhood food memory
- Fond memories of shelling broad beans with her Mum
- Pickling was her favourite session during How To Be A Chef
- Seasonal produce is one of the guiding principles of Square Food Foundation’s event catering operation, where Sarah now works.

💛 All profits from Square Food’s event catering work supports our mission to reduce food insecurity, bring people together and improve health and confidence through cooking. If you have a corporate lunch or special celebration coming up we would love to develop your perfect menu – just drop us a message to talk 👋 .

21/03/2025

📣 Exciting news for aspiring mentors! We are now welcoming applications to mentor the amazing young people on our How To Be A Chef course.

👩‍🍳 How To Be A Chef is 12-weeks of inspiring and practical food education. It is designed to support 16-25 year olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The course includes sessions with our expert cookery teachers and hands-on experience with the Square Food Events team, giving students an insight into the reality of working in event catering.

🍽️ Alongside this the students go on a Food Tour, where they visit some of Bristol's incredible restaurants including -E and . Workshops with guest chefs are another exciting part of the course - we're been lucky to work with , and .

🌎 A key part of the course is supporting students with decisions about what they'd like to do next. The course includes a careers session where students are supported by companies including and Fare Chance programme.

🌟 This is also where mentors play a valuable role - in supporting the students as they finish the course and develop their ideas and goals about what they'd like to do next. Research highlights that mentors are especially valuable for young people NEET who are going through transitions; this is exactly the case for our students.

🫶 Mentoring is about offering guidance, empathy, encouragement, critical thinking and much more! If you feel passionately about supporting young people to develop their career ambitions as well as their confidence and self-esteem, we would love to hear from you.

🔗 Discover more and apply by following the link our bio or email jenny@squarefoodfoundation.co.uk

18/02/2025

📣 Do you want to join our life-changing cookery programme?

👩‍🍳 How To Be A Chef is a free course is designed to support 16-25 year olds not in education, training or full time employment, to experience the world of food and hospitality and get a taste of what it is like to work in this industry.

🍛 Students will be guided by our expert cookery teachers, guest chefs and support team to develop their culinary skills, knowledge and passion. The course includes inspiring workshops with guest chefs, trips to Bristol's inspiring restaurants, and practical support with CV development and employability.

🎉 Students will receive a BTEC qualification at the end of the 12-week course, as well as the option to receive on-going support from a mentor.

👉 The important information:
〰️ Dates: Wednesday 23rd April -Thursday 16th July 2025
〰️ Time and day: Every Wednesday and Thursday, 10am-4pm
〰️ Location: Square Food Foundation, The Park Centre, Daventry Road BS4 1DQ
〰️ How to apply: Scan the QR code or follow the link on our bio to find out more info and the enrolment form
〰️ Next steps: after you have filled in the enrolment form, the Square Food team will contact you to arrange a meeting where we can get to know you and you can find out more about the course.

📣 What it's like to be on our How To Be A Chef course?

“The culture inside the kitchen was always positive, and whenever I needed assistance or guidance, there was always someone around to help. Additionally, the variety of skills meant that I could both play to my strengths and improve on my weaknesses. One of the most interesting days was spent on a farm, going through the entire process from harvesting to prepping all the way to cooking and serving a hearty meal.”
December 2024 graduate.

🌟 Does this sound like the perfect next step for you or someone you know? Complete the form today we're looking forward to hearing from you!

30/01/2025

📣 Applications are open until 28th February for our inspirational How To Be A Chef course! Thanks to everyone who has applied so far - if you haven't applied yet we're looking forward to hearing from you 😊

👩‍🍳 Join our flagship cookery programme, How To Be A Chef! This free course is designed to support 16-25 year old's not in education, training or full time employment, to experience the world of food and hospitality and get a taste of what it is like to work in this industry.

🍛 Students will be guided by our expert cookery teachers, guest chefs and support team to develop their culinary skills, knowledge and passion. The course includes inspiring workshops with guest chefs, trips to Bristol's inspiring restaurants, and practical support with CV development and employability.

🎉 Students will receive a BTEC qualification at the end of the 12-week course, as well as the option to receive on-going support from a mentor.

👉 The important information:
〰️ Dates: Wednesday 23rd April -Thursday 16th July 2025
〰️ Time and day: Every Wednesday and Thursday, 10am-4pm
〰️ Location: Square Food Foundation, The Park Centre, Daventry Road BS4 1DQ
〰️ How to apply: Scan the QR code or follow this link https://buff.ly/3YtPhCY to find out more info and the enrolment form
〰️ Next steps: after you have filled in the enrolment form, the Square Food team will contact you to arrange a meeting where we can get to know you and you can find out more about the course.

📣 What it's like to be on our How To Be A Chef course?

“The culture inside the kitchen was always positive, and whenever I needed assistance or guidance, there was always someone around to help. Additionally, the variety of skills meant that I could both play to my strengths and improve on my weaknesses. One of the most interesting days was spent on a farm, going through the entire process from harvesting to prepping all the way to cooking and serving a hearty meal.”
December 2024 graduate.

🌟 Does this sound like the perfect next step for you or someone you know? Complete the form today we're looking forward to hearing from you!

24/01/2025

👩‍🍳 Join our flagship cookery programme, How To Be A Chef! This free course is designed to support 16-25 year old's not in education, training or full time employment, to experience the world of food and hospitality and get a taste of what it is like to work in this industry.

🍛 Students will be guided by our expert cookery teachers, guest chefs and support team to develop their culinary skills, knowledge and passion. The course includes inspiring workshops with guest chefs, trips to Bristol's inspiring restaurants, and practical support with CV development and employability.

🎉 Students will receive a BTEC qualification at the end of the 12-week course, as well as the option to receive on-going support from a mentor.

👉 The important information:
〰️ Dates: Wednesday 23rd April -Thursday 16th July 2025
〰️ Time and day: Every Wednesday and Thursday, 10am-4pm
〰️ Location: Square Food Foundation, The Park Centre, Daventry Road BS4 1DQ
〰️ How to apply: Scan the QR code or follow this link https://buff.ly/3YtPhCY to find out more info and the enrolment form
〰️ Next steps: after you have filled in the enrolment form, the Square Food team will contact you to arrange a meeting where we can get to know you and you can find out more about the course.

📣 What it's like to be on our How To Be A Chef course?

“The culture inside the kitchen was always positive, and whenever I needed assistance or guidance, there was always someone around to help. Additionally, the variety of skills meant that I could both play to my strengths and improve on my weaknesses. One of the most interesting days was spent on a farm, going through the entire process from harvesting to prepping all the way to cooking and serving a hearty meal.”
December 2024 graduate.

🌟 Does this sound like the perfect next step for you or someone you know? Complete the form today we're looking forward to hearing from you!

Address

The Park, Daventry Road, Knowle West
Bristol
BS41DQ

Website

https://www.squarefoodfoundation.co.uk/home, https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a056900002TPSejAAH?c=26775

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Our Story

Bristol’s Cookery School & Community Kitchen, Square Food Foundation teaches people from all walks of life to cook good food from scratch. Founded by award-winning food educator, Barny Haughton, Square Food offers life-changing cookery courses and classes that promise to inform, encourage and inspire your approach to cooking. Square Food Foundation is a registered charity. Every penny of profit from masterclasses, corporate workshops and private parties supports our work with schools and community groups. Visit www.squarefoodfoundation.co.uk for more information