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Rooted in Food is our monthly community growing and cooking session.

Together, attendees share stories of the foods, herbs and ingredients they grew up with, which shape what we grow in a dedicated plot with gardener Nicola.

This year we’re experimenting with everything from lemongrass to gailan, ginger and even coffee, learning together what can thrive in London and what food heritage means across generations and cultures.

Then everyone cooks and eats together. @foodbylaraluck stepped in for @keshia.sakarah_ this time with Moussaka, beetroot salad and okra. It all went quickly!

Food has a remarkable way of helping people feel seen, connected and at home, doesn’t it?

(Food stories, community growing, food heritage, rooted in food)

Happy half term to our little helpers, volunteers, supporters and community who help us to grow, cook, teach and sometimes lug furniture around.

Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say!

Hope you have a lovely and well-deserved rest.

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Our inaugural community feast was a resounding success with Caribbean flavour! And the on brand sun shone on our garden in bloom and happy diners too.

@foodbylaraluck cooked a vibrant meal of maple-glazed jerk chicken, okra, plantain, salad and turmeric rice with refreshing hibiscus and ginger coolers for everyone. All cooked on site with our educators and team supporting and served to delighted attendees.

So delicious Lara!

You can see how much fun was had! We were oversubscribed and hope to host many more.

Sign uo to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. Link in profile.

With thanks to @victoriasiddle for 📸 and @hackneycouncil for funding support.

#communityaction #caribbeancuisine #gatherwithpurpose #schooloffood

Join us for a guided tour of the @HackneySchoolofFood with architect Tom Surman of @SurmanWeston next Tuesday!

Located within the grounds of Mandeville Primary School, the School of Food project transformed a redundant caretaker’s house into a specialist food education centre for primary school children and the wider community.

In 2018, Surman Weston won an invited competition to help realise an ambitious vision for a purpose-built food education hub centred around teaching children how to cook fresh, healthy and delicious food from scratch.

The tour will explore the project’s inception and delivery, key architectural and landscape design moves, and the collaborative process behind the scheme. It will also reflect on the school’s ongoing social and educational impact, and how thoughtful design can support healthier, more connected communities.

The venue is fully accessible - get your tickets at the link in our bio!

📸: @surmanweston

#Hackney #Architecture #CommunityArchitecture #HackneySchoolOfFood

Join us for a guided tour of the @HackneySchoolofFood with architect Tom Surman of @SurmanWeston next Tuesday!

Located within the grounds of Mandeville Primary School, the School of Food project transformed a redundant caretaker’s house into a specialist food education centre for primary school children and the wider community.

In 2018, Surman Weston won an invited competition to help realise an ambitious vision for a purpose-built food education hub centred around teaching children how to cook fresh, healthy and delicious food from scratch.

The tour will explore the project’s inception and delivery, key architectural and landscape design moves, and the collaborative process behind the scheme. It will also reflect on the school’s ongoing social and educational impact, and how thoughtful design can support healthier, more connected communities.

The venue is fully accessible - get your tickets at the link in our bio!

📸: @surmanweston

#Hackney #Architecture #CommunityArchitecture #HackneySchoolOfFood

Join us for a guided tour of the @HackneySchoolofFood with architect Tom Surman of @SurmanWeston next Tuesday!

Located within the grounds of Mandeville Primary School, the School of Food project transformed a redundant caretaker’s house into a specialist food education centre for primary school children and the wider community.

In 2018, Surman Weston won an invited competition to help realise an ambitious vision for a purpose-built food education hub centred around teaching children how to cook fresh, healthy and delicious food from scratch.

The tour will explore the project’s inception and delivery, key architectural and landscape design moves, and the collaborative process behind the scheme. It will also reflect on the school’s ongoing social and educational impact, and how thoughtful design can support healthier, more connected communities.

The venue is fully accessible - get your tickets at the link in our bio!

📸: @surmanweston

#Hackney #Architecture #CommunityArchitecture #HackneySchoolOfFood

When the weather makes your bees think that summer has arrived a month early and your old Queen heads off to pastures new - it's time to order a new monarch in the post!

With a strong colony, all we needed was a strong queen and today she was introduced to her new subjects and realm of green that is our gardens.

Beekeeping is always an interesting journey, throwing up curveballs just when you think you're on top of things!

#UrbanBeeKeeping #NewQueen #hackneyfood #localhoney

Cooking, learning and having fun!

The @uclstudentsocialimpact team are doing immersive learning with @kerbfood about social impact and enterprise and we couldn’t be happier to host them. The students love escaping to our little oasis away too.

The recipes and expertise came from @ethiopickitchen and we were lucky to join lunch too! Woin is in Farringdon for the next three weeks if you want to try her cooking.

One more session to go and we can’t wait. Until next time.

#foodeducation #socialenterprises #socialimpact

Hail, no!

Wild British spring weather wouldn’t deter our Year Four busy bees from going “Inside the Hive” with @tomthefoodchampion today. It was hailing then sunny for about 10 minutes before more rain!

We think their enthusiasm is quite infectious. Did you know one of the ways bees communicate is through dancing?

#beekeepers #youngbeekeepers #foodeducationforkids

🌿 **Nurture. Create. Feast.** 🌿

This May half term, we’re inviting our little chefs to swap the screen for the soil! Our holiday club is back, and it’s packed with adventures that bridge the gap between the garden and the plate.
Here’s what’s sprouting this week:
* Kids will learn the magic of harvesting fresh ingredients straight from the earth.
* We’ll be using the garden as our muse for nature-themed artistic sessions
* From prep to plate, our chefs will whip up fabulous meals using their hand-picked haul.
* There’s nothing better than bonding over a meal you’ve made yourself!

It’s a brilliant chance to learn new techniques, make friends, and discover where food really comes from.

Booking Information
Hit the link in our bio to secure a spot!
We are pleased to offer a limited number of funded places for children on benefit-related free school meals.

*Questions? Pop us an email at hello@hackneyschooloffood.com to find out more.
#LittleChefs #MayHalfTerm GardenToTable CookingFromScratch HolidayClub NatureArt GrowYourOwn

Happy 100th Birthday, Sir David Attenborough! 🌿

Today, we join the world in celebrating a truly monumental milestone— from the smallest bugs to the most ancient trees. His lifelong dedication has taught us that the natural world is a treasure worth protecting, and his wisdom remains our guiding light:

At the Hackney School of Food, we are proud to honour his legacy by bringing that sense of wonder into our own little corner of London, for urban children to be hands on with nature.

Thank you, Sir David, for showing us the way. We hope to emulate your passion, even in the smallest of ways, right here in our gardens.

#SirDavidAttenborough #Attenborough100 #SustainableLiving #NatureEducation #GrowYourOwn ProtectOurPlanet FutureGenerations ChildrenInNature

From our garden: chocolate mint. Have you come across it before?

There are over 30 varieties of mint including fruity, spicy and some too strong for anything but catnip! The children who try this say it tastes like chewing gum and toothpaste. But we think it’s like @aftereightuki from the ground!

More garden curiosities from our thriving food and garden education space and lead gardener @lidkaflowerpower to follow.

#foodeducation #urbangardening #hackneyfood #gardeneducation

Last week, we swapped our desks for a kitchen garden at @hackneyschooloffood – and it was exactly what we needed! 🌿

A morning spent getting clear on where we’re going and how we get there together. A farm tour, a lunch made with ingredients pulled fresh from the soil, and an afternoon getting our hands dirty making infused butters, oils and salts with the brilliant @tomthefoodchampion. We all went home with something something delicious!

Thank you Hackney School of Food for an incredible day, and for all the work you’re doing in the community. And to our team – we couldn’t do any of this without you 🧡

What began as an attempt to improve school meals has grown into something much bigger: a working model of what food education can really look like.

We’re so thrilled to be featured in @foodism this month, in a piece on London’s urban agriculture.

For us, food isn’t just something you eat. It’s something you understand. Habits formed young tend to stick so our work focuses on exposure, confidence and skills for life.

Thank you @springuine for this joy. Link to read in the profile.

#urbanagriculture #schoolfood #foodeducation

What began as an attempt to improve school meals has grown into something much bigger: a working model of what food education can really look like.

We’re so thrilled to be featured in @foodism this month, in a piece on London’s urban agriculture.

For us, food isn’t just something you eat. It’s something you understand. Habits formed young tend to stick so our work focuses on exposure, confidence and skills for life.

Thank you @springuine for this joy. Link to read in the profile.

#urbanagriculture #schoolfood #foodeducation

What began as an attempt to improve school meals has grown into something much bigger: a working model of what food education can really look like.

We’re so thrilled to be featured in @foodism this month, in a piece on London’s urban agriculture.

For us, food isn’t just something you eat. It’s something you understand. Habits formed young tend to stick so our work focuses on exposure, confidence and skills for life.

Thank you @springuine for this joy. Link to read in the profile.

#urbanagriculture #schoolfood #foodeducation