Every Thursday, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm
St. Hilda’s East Food Co-op is open every Thursday 11:30 am to 2:30 pm You will find us in the hall at St. Hilda’s East or outside the community centre on sunny days. All are welcome!
The Food Co-op offers fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable prices to the local community, provides a lifeline for housebound older people using the centre, and is a place to shop, chat and meet.
Who runs the Food Co-op?
The Food Co-op has always been volunteer-led, it is an enterprise where friendships are built across diverse cultural and social backgrounds and an interest in food is a common passion.
Volunteers receive valuable ‘on the job’ experience and placements. We offer free training opportunities for Food Co-op volunteers including short courses in
- Food Safety Level 2
- First Aid
- Customer Service Skills
- Job Search
- Educational trips to local farms
Where does our food come from?
For our fresh fruit and vegetables, we have two main suppliers:
New Spitalfields Market
Supplies all our non-organic fruit & vegetables every Thursday morning.
Sarah Green’s Organics
Supplies all our organic vegetables, delivered direct from the farm in Essex to the Food Co-op every week. A wide range of organic vegetables are available at the Food Co-op all year round. Organic farming means that the use of chemicals to feed the crops or kill weeds and insects are kept to a minimum. If any chemicals are used, they are generally made from natural ingredients. This helps to maintain a habitat in which wildlife can thrive. Ploughing, planting, hoeing & harvesting is often done by hand & in all seasons & weathers!
Zaytoun
We also stock regular supplies of dates, almonds, olive oil and maftoul from Zaytoun, a social enterprise founded to support Palestinian farmers through fair trade. Zaytoun supplies all the organically-grown and fairly traded Palestinian fair-trade products available at St. Hilda’s Food Co-op, which are sourced directly from small-scale farmers and collectives.
Suma
Suma supplies our small range of quality whole-foods offered at trade prices to Food Co-op customers. Suma is a workers’ co-operative – a radical business managed and owned by its workers. They are also the largest independent supplier of whole-foods in the UK. Bulk orders are available for Food Co-op customers on request.
Supporting The Climate and Environment
Our Food Co-op continually strives to reduce its CO2 footprint through sustainable sourcing and support of the local food movement. We have a Zero waste approach and do not pre package our goods so our customers can purchase the amount they need. We also recycled cardboard delivery boxes and have introduced bio-degradable plastic shopping bags. To further reduce waste, we use reusable pricing labels and do all our ordering online and keep our customers in the loop through our e-newsletter.
Healthy Living Events
The Food Co-op also offers regular Healthy Living events to create awareness about healthy living and help combat health problems faced by the local community.
Recent Healthy Living events include a Vegetarian Sushi Workshop at Apple Day on the Gascoigne Estate, where over 30 local residents made close to 150 pieces of vegetarian sushi between them! Celia, the workshop facilitator said, “Everyone seemed very happy to put most things into their sushi, including spinach cooked with sesame oil and garlic, sesame seeds, herbs and whole range of raw veggies… people put in a really good selection.” Everyone took home a sushi recipe booklet and pack of ingredients to continue the fun!
The Sushi Workshop was followed by a ‘Natural Beauty on a Budget’ workshop, where participants learned to make their own lip balm, body scrubs and hand cream from kitchen ingredients!
Visit the St. Hilda’s East Food Co-op—open every Thursday 11:30 am to 2:30 pm
For more information, email Yolande or phone 020 7739 8066
Many thanks to Womens Environmental Network for supporting the Community Food and Advice Project.
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