Cambridge Street Collective: UK's 'best' food hall gets better with sell-out cooking and cocktail classes
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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.
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Hide AdHead 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.
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.”
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Hide AdEvents 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.
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Hide AdBusinesses 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.”
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Hide AdClasses 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
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