Made in Hackney

Made In Hackney (MIH) opened its doors in 2012 as the UK’s first fully vegan community cookery school and charity.

We collaborate with communities to showcase and develop skills, knowledge and inspiration to grow, cook and eat more plants.

The kitchen started as a response to global and local crisis – health inequalities, food access and climate change. These interconnected issues drive our mission to bring about positive change in the areas of community, health and environment with delicious, culturally varied, nutritious plant-based food at the centre of all we do.

The heartbeat of our organisation is our cookery and food growing classes. These sessions are opportunities to come together, share skills and cultural cuisines, learn new ones, deepen community connection and inspire joyful and lasting behaviour change. The results of these gatherings are beautiful.

From curing type 2 diabetes, healing chronic bowel disorders, improving chronic fatigue symptoms, helping to manage depression, forming new friendships, starting a window ledge garden, gaining the skills and confidence to start a food business or learning to cook for the first time age 82 – the MIH family members unique journey’s after participating in our programmes never cease to amaze and inspire.

In March 2020 we paused our usual programme to launch a COVID19 response of online classes, telephone support for those not online, and an emergency direct to door community meal service. At the peak of the crisis we provided 500 meals a day across Hackney direct to households who needed support with food. Today we continue to provide meals and hope to be able to do so for as long as there is need. We aim to incorporate training and jobs for local young people into the community meal service.

Made In Hackney is humbled to have collaborated with hundreds of partners from home cooks and community chefs, to grassroots collectives, festivals, charities, housing associations, schools, public health bodies, small businesses, global brands and even celebrities such as Jamie Oliver and Olivia Colman.

We believe in progressive, non-hierarchical ways of working. This means we have a flat line management structure (yes – no boss!), make decisions by consensus and the team receive the same financial remuneration for their work.