Cambridge Street Collective: UK's 'best' food hall gets better with sell-out cooking and cocktail classes

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Budding chefs, love-birds, families, and friendship groups can enjoy unique cooking classes in Sheffield.

Cambridge Street Collective, which was voted the ‘best’ food hall in the UK last month, has just officially launched Blend Culinary Foundation (BCF) - an initiative that not only provides fun food education, but also helps to tackle food poverty.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Head chef Wendy O’Brien, who previously worked at Marmadukes and owned Baked & Caked on Chesterfield Road, joined the team earlier this year. She has since helped launch the community interest company with Matt and Nina Bigland, founders of the Blend Family.

They have since held dozens of cooking classes since June, with each booking allowing BCF to support users of S6 Food Bank, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, ArtWorks, The Furnival, and others. It all forms part of the foundation’s ‘one million meals’ pledge.

Blend Culinary Foundation is a community interest company (CIC) launched by Cambridge Street Collective - the UK's best food hall.Blend Culinary Foundation is a community interest company (CIC) launched by Cambridge Street Collective - the UK's best food hall.
Blend Culinary Foundation is a community interest company (CIC) launched by Cambridge Street Collective - the UK's best food hall. | Submitted

Wendy, who completed her chef training at Le Gavroche - the UK’s first restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars, said: “The main aim is to keep it informative and fun so you learn something from the class, but you have a great time doing it.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Events include masterclasses, tutored tastings, and cooking classes, such as the hugely popular cooking and cocktail classes on a Friday, and are sold out every week.

“It’s a fun night out on a Friday night,” Wendy said. “You get to eat your food, you get to cook, you learn a dish, and you have cocktails. Really, what’s not to like about it?”

Behind the scenes, the kitchen with 18 fully equipped workstations, can also be used for private hire, such as hen parties, family bake-offs, and team away days.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Wendy O'Brien is the head chef at BCFWendy O'Brien is the head chef at BCF
Wendy O'Brien is the head chef at BCF | National World

Businesses looking to meet Environmental Social Governance (ESG) goals can book ‘corporate pledge events’. This will see teams cook meals for distribution via the S6 Food Bank.

Wendy said: “To watch those ready meals build up on the table until we’ve got 110 of them, it’s great. You know that’s going to the food bank, it’s going in a freezer, that food that you cooked with love and care is going to a family who really, really needs that food. It’s heart-warming.

“There's so many people out there that are living on the breadline.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Classes for the public are being added each week, and can be gifted to a loved one as a present.

Prices for the classes start at £35, with all money raised going back into the foundation. To find out more about BCF, including upcoming classes, please visit: https://cambridgestreetcollective.com/blend-culinary-foundation

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.