Sheffield has always been a city that knows how to come together around food. From bustling lunch clubs to family-run cafés and neighbourhood kitchens, food in our city is about more than what’s on the plate; it’s what makes our city. Now, a new report from ShefFood, Cooking Up Connections: Sheffield’s Community Kitchens, shines a light on just how vital these spaces are and how we can help them thrive.
For those who don’t yet know, ShefFood is the city’s Food Partnership, a network of over 100 organisations working together to create a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food system for Sheffield. The partnership has already led projects on food provision, urban growing, and sustainability, and this latest report dives into the world of community kitchens across our neighbourhoods.
The report was shaped through 23 in-depth interviews with both kitchen managers and the community groups who use them. It reveals not only where Sheffield’s community kitchens are located, but also what’s working well, what barriers stand in the way, and the opportunities we have to make them stronger.
And it’s thanks to the dedication of Nell Attwood, former ShefFood Coordinator, and Lana Simpson, Public Health Practitioner at Sheffield City Council, that this work has been brought to life. Their efforts in speaking to numerous organisations, listening carefully, and synthesising the findings into this clear and practical report have provided Sheffield with an invaluable resource.
The report highlights many reasons to celebrate. Dozens of community kitchens, from church halls to cultural centres, are already buzzing with activity. Groups like Ammi’s Kitchen and Mum’s United are using these spaces not only to cook, but also to build community, tackle inequality, and pass on skills.
One strength is the flexibility of pricing. Some kitchens operate on donations, while others use tiered rates that allow them to subsidise charities and community groups. In practice, that means a corporate booking one day could help cover the costs of a free lunch club the next.
Kitchens are also proving to be pathways into employment. Volunteers working alongside experienced cooks are gaining catering skills and confidence, sometimes moving into paid work. Meanwhile, several spaces are being used by providers supporting young people excluded from school, giving them valuable food education and a fresh sense of purpose.
And then there’s the joy of social eating itself. Whether it’s the warm welcome at a local lunch club, a shared cooking session, or a community café like those run by Food Works, these kitchens are about much more than meals. They’re about friendship, learning, and belonging.
Of course, it’s not all easy. The report also sets out some of the barriers community kitchens face. Staffing and volunteer capacity is a major issue, with many kitchens struggling to have enough people available to supervise hires.
Access to equipment and storage space is another hurdle. Without the ability to store food or share resources, costs rise and opportunities shrink. And while many kitchens are described as “accessible,” none of those interviewed were fully accessible to wheelchair users, revealing a big gap in provision.
There’s also the challenge of getting the word out. Only one kitchen interviewed was actively advertising itself for hire, meaning that potential users simply don’t know what’s available. And then there’s food waste. Without citywide food waste collection, community groups often struggle to recycle or compost food waste.
The report doesn’t stop at highlighting problems; it sets out seven practical recommendations to build on the success already happening. These include creating more opportunities for peer learning between kitchen managers and community groups, setting up a library of shared kitchen equipment that organisations can borrow, better promotion and visibility for kitchens and social eating spaces, support with volunteer recruitment and financial sustainability, continuing conversations about what makes a kitchen truly accessible, and exploring ways to tackle food waste, including the city’s new Compost Connection initiative.
In short, the report paints a hopeful picture: Sheffield already has a strong network of community kitchens, and with the right support, they can play an even greater role in strengthening our communities.
As part of this project, ShefFood has created a brilliant resource for the city. The Community Kitchen Map helps organisations, social enterprises, and charities find and hire kitchen spaces. Whether you’re planning a community café, a cook-and-eat session, or a cultural food event, this map will point you in the right direction.
This follows on from their work this year on the Community Food Provision Map, which helps individuals and families find free or low-cost food options across Sheffield. From lunch clubs and social eating spaces to food pantries and food banks, it’s a vital guide to the city’s caring network.
You can find both maps on the ShefFood website: sheffood.org.uk/food-ladders-food-provision and read the full report here: sheffood.org.uk/strategy-research.
What shines through from this report is just how much Sheffielders genuinely care about one another. Our community kitchens show what’s possible when people come together with food at the centre.
We owe huge thanks to the kitchen managers, volunteers, and organisations who make these spaces thrive. And we owe thanks to Nell Attwood and Lana Simpson for their vision and hard work in producing this report.
The next time you sit down for a shared meal in one of Sheffield’s community kitchens, or take part in a project that brings neighbours together through food, remember that you’re part of a much bigger story; one of cooking up a stronger future for our city.
