Run by Lifeafterhummus, the café is based alongside Pancras Square Library on the ground floor of Camden Council’s 5 Pancras Square
A new community café is aiming to combat food waste by transforming surplus food from local Somers Town businesses and partners into nutritious and affordable meals. Run by Lifeafterhummus, the café is based alongside Pancras Square Library on the ground floor of Camden Council’s 5 Pancras Square. It serves delicious plant-based meals and is open every week, Tuesday to Saturday 12pm to 5:30pm.
The café, run in partnership with Camden Council, is an example of a local organisation taking on Camden’s Food Mission, which aims to ensure that by 2030, everyone eats well every day with nutritious, affordable, sustainable food. Camden’s Missions encourage residents, businesses, voluntary groups, community organisations and the council to all contribute to tackle these big issues.
The café will also provide work experience for young people in Camden who are currently not in education, employment or training. This will allow young people to apply for apprenticeships run by Camden Council and its partners. This contributes to one of Camden’s Missions to ensure that every young person has access to economic opportunity to make them safe and secure.
Anna Wright, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care said, “This fantastic new community café gives residents nutritious, filling hot meals for just a few pounds, making use of food which might otherwise be wasted or not used.”
Lifeafterhummus is also giving work experience placements to Camden young people who are not in work, education or training, where they will get the opportunity to run aspects of the café, the food preparation and serving customers. It’s a great example of how Camden can take on some of the really big challenges we face when we come together and share our skills and resources.
Lifeafterhummus, a Community Benefit Society, already plays a vital role in the local community. They operate a social supermarket and re-use centre supporting 80 local households and run a redistribution network that supplies 11 local hostels, an after-school club, and a faith group.
The café’s meals are prepared from surplus food collected by volunteers from Somers Town food businesses and partners. The food is then cooked and prepared in the Lifeafterhummus kitchen and sold at the café.
Farrah Rainfly, Operations Manager and volunteer for Lifeafterhummus, said, “This initiative is about so much more than just food – it’s about tackling food waste head-on and, most importantly, bringing our community together. By using surplus food and offering a platform for local residents to try their hands at being community chefs or to get work experience, we’re not only providing affordable, healthy, meals but also building confidence, communication skills, and stronger community connections.”
With support and funding from other partners including the North London Waste Authority and ReLondon, a partnership of the Mayor of London and London’s boroughs, the café has become a reality. Lamia Sbiti, Business Transformation Manager for ReLondon, said, “Too much perfectly edible food gets wasted in London, while many people cannot afford proper meals and stay hungry. Lifeafterhummus’ mission to bridge this gap is highly important – which is why we supported them with a Growing London’s Circular Food System grant to contribute to their Community Cafe. We’re excited to see this project come to life and can’t wait to witness the positive impact it will have on the community and beyond.”
