A community restaurant where diners can pay what they can afford is popping up in Frome this autumn, serving affordable, delicious, and nutritious food to those who enjoy good food that nurtures and supports the local community
The project, known as Canteen, has been set up by the Frome Food Network to improve wellbeing in the town and aims to give wider access to responsibly sourced, well-cooked, delicious food and to bridge the gap between local food and local people.
The events are due to be held at the Trinity Hall from 5pm to 8pm on Friday 25th October and Friday 15th November. Reservations are not needed; all diners have to do is pop along any time from 5pm. Food is served up to 8pm, or until it runs out.
To participate, diners just buy a Canteen token at the till (or ask for ‘a token for Jo’ to receive one for free), then exchange the token at the nearby hatch for a meal. “Then find a space at the table and enjoy,” says Frome Food Network founder and Canteen coordinator Hugh Thomas.
Creating a sense of community and togetherness is at the heart of the project and organisers hope the restaurant will attract people from across the town to come along and enjoy a meal with their neighbours and meet new friends.
“Families with children are also very welcome and there will be a designated children’s area for kids who want to play after enjoying their dinner,” says Hugh.
Canteen’s dishes are based around seasonal fruit and vegetables, with meat being sourced from local, regenerative and ethical suppliers. On the night there will be a choice of two dishes with expert cooks serving up comforting and delicious favourites such as pie and mash, curries and stews.
Hugh said, “The model has been designed to make it affordable for all with the cost of a meal dependent on how much the diner would like to pay. Diners can pay over or under the actual cost of the meal, or you can eat for free. Whatever is affordable. On the day there will be an indication of how much a single meal costs to make and as Canteen is not-for-profit, it only seeks to cover that cost. For the first two events, the suggested donation for a meal is £10.
“The pop-up is inspired by projects and concepts such as The Long Table in Stroud, The Big Lunch and has roots in the British Restaurants of the 1940s and the National Food Service. It 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.
“We are thrilled to be launching a community dining project in Frome. We have such a wealth of great local producers and suppliers in the area and good food is at the heart of health and wellbeing. We hope the first two events will be the start of something special.
“Canteen is currently at the stage where we test it out to see what works, what doesn’t and how the community would like it to function. We would love something like this to be a permanent part of Frome but we need to fully understand what the community wants from it first and if indeed it wants it at all.”
For further information visit www.fromefoodnetwork.co.uk/canteen.
