Within walking distance of bustling King’s Cross and a world away from its fancy restaurants is a social enterprise called Cook for Good. Located on the Priory Green Estate, the organisation tackles food insecurity, social isolation and barriers to work. As I am shown around the surplus food Pantry (it is not a food bank), I overhear one woman ask of another: “What happened to the man in this photo? I haven’t seen him in a while.”
The man she is talking about features in the not-for-profit’s recently published cookbook, Soup for Good, which is filled with soup recipes including a Jewish chicken soup . There are 50 recipes in fact, and extra ones for bread interspersed with stories about the Peabody estate’s much-loved characters. Recipes have also been donated by supporters Nigella Lawson, Ed Balls, Karan Gokani, Wichet Khongphoon and Gordon Brown.
The concern the woman shows is testament to the social connection Cook for Good has achieved in its short life span. Established on the site of an abandoned laundry building in 2021, the Pantry gives its 400 members – who live on or around the estate – the opportunity of a shop worth around £35 for just £3.50. They can also have a cup of tea or coffee and a morning pastry and, later a bowl of soup with bread.
Co-founded by CEO Karen Mattison MBE and events director Robinne Collie – Cook for Good runs team cooking experiences where participants make food to share with residents and outreach organisations. Profits are then used to fund a community programme that includes free cooking classes, employment programmes and the Pantry.
The impetus for the enterprise was Karen’s 50th birthday, which as it approached got her thinking about the ‘big project’ she had to do, based around her passion of food. She was also affected by Ken Loach’s 2016 film I, Daniel Blake, about a man’s travails with the benefits system, and wanted to make a difference. While she doesn’t see the provision and sharing of food as a singularly Jewish value, she says it is “a fundamental part of our culture to use and share food at key moments.” She adds: “To cook for people, break bread with them… I obsess about food and recipes.”
The Pantry members
Robinne, meanwhile, has a background in running cooking-focused team-building, events and has worked in charitable endeavours. The pair met as WIZO award judges and volunteering for Muswell Hill Synagogue’s kiddush rota which led to idea discussions and the social enterprise model was born.
Punctuating our conversation with concerned chats with members about their welfare, Karen explains the history of the soup project which was sparked by a flask of her own homemade tomato and lentil soup. Sampled by a volunteer called Mary who loved it, within a month, the Pantry was serving members two soups every Thursday. And now after three years of successful soup, the team has produced a handsome hardback cookbook.
“We didn’t want it to look like a charity cookbook,” says Karen, who previously set up award-winning social enterprises Timewise and Women Like Us. “We wanted it to stand on its own as a really good recipe book that is accessible and looks beautiful on your coffee table.”
Cook for Good also addresses loneliness. “A lot of the older people here talk about how things used to be, when you knew your neighbours and everyone went to the same shop,” shares Karen. “They talk about how that went away and Covid exacerbated it.
“We know social isolation and loneliness is massive everywhere. If you don’t have the money to do the social things that connect you with others, you become more and more isolated. It shouldn’t be a luxury to have a cup of tea with a friend, but some of the members can’t do that, and really look forward to coming here. Some just come for a chat, particularly the older ones.
“It is really hard work, but you feel the impact on a daily basis. I love chatting to people and can see how it’s impacting people,” says Karen. “We did some research among our membership, and nine out of 10 said that, since joining the Pantry, they feel less isolated and more connected to the community. Food brings people in and then we offer them things that suit their needs.”
The well-stocked Pantry
The estate is a diverse one, Karen tells me, with high levels of diabetes, obesity and poor diets. So one of the courses Cook for Good runs with a GP and resident chef Simone Krieger is a healthy eating class that has been “game-changing” for members.
There is also an older men’s Grub Club and courses, advice workshops from various organisations and a monthly three-course communal meal, with the corporate team serving the community.
As well as the impact the organisation has on the community members, the team-building exercises help connect the corporate patrons. “I really enjoy helping to develop the community we work with and also seeing how much fun our corporate clients have,” said Simone. “It’s a good legacy for us and for our children to see what we are doing and they get involved. I really feel like the timing with Karen was beshert.”
Cook for Good is now more than 80 percent self-revenue generating through the corporate team-building, partnerships and the book, with the remaining 20 percent coming from charitable foundations’ grants – a great result in just three years.
Simone adds: “Our community doesn’t care where you’re from, what language you speak or what colour your skin is – we all work together and respect each other.”
With plans to open another Cook for Good in London, Karen leaves me with a pertinent thought. “Imagine if, on every housing estate, there was a community shop, café and a place where you could learn some skills, connect with people and eat good food. A place where businesses could do their social good and feel it, not just give money – imagine what that could do.”
Soup for Good is available from Amazon, £25. To donate to Cook for Good or find out about team-building opportunities, visit cookforgood.uk
