Food as a vessel for change.
Community & Education
The Shared Plate is built on two equal foundations: abundant catering and meaningful community programmes. Every feast we create and every workshop we run is part of a bigger picture — one where food connects people, builds resilience, and sparks change.
When you book us for weddings, corporate events, or celebrations, you’re not only getting beautiful food — you’re also directly funding the work we do with young people, families, and communities.
Whatever kind of group you are, we can build a programme that fits. We design hands-on food experiences for schools, youth groups, workplaces, charities and community organisations — always shaped around the needs of the people in the room. From one-off sessions to multi-week projects, we’ll work with you to create something meaningful, practical and joyful.
Every programme we deliver is designed to:
strengthen community through shared food experiences
build confidence, creativity, and wellbeing
encourage a healthy relationships with food
support connection across backgrounds and experiences
Our Impact
Our Workshops
Adapted to the needs of your groups.
Chop ‘n’ Chat
Our flagship format: a group of people come together to cook a meal, share food, and open space for conversation. Chop ‘n’ Chat is simple, joyful, and powerful — breaking isolation, creating friendships, and giving participants confidence in the kitchen. It can be adapted for workplaces, youth groups, or community projects.
Youth Cooks
Multi-week programmes that inspire young people to explore food, cooking, and confidence. Participants learn new skills — from baking bread to making fresh pasta — while building teamwork, resilience, and pride. The programme often ends with a feast cooked for family, friends, or the wider community.The Good Food Toolkit
A structured, step-by-step healthy & budget cooking programme that builds confidence in the kitchen and supports long-term wellbeing. Participants learn practical everyday skills — from knife skills and simple sauces to balanced meals, budgeting, label reading, and healthier swaps — all taught in an approachable, hands-on way.The programme can be delivered as a one-off workshop or a multi-week course, tailored for young people, families, or adults, with recipes and tools participants can take home and use straight away.A targeted programme for men over 55 who are living alone, building on the practical skills and step-by-step approach of our Good Food Toolkit. Sessions focus on simple, nourishing meals that support independence, confidence and long-term wellbeing — while creating space for connection and shared experience.
Living Solo, Living Well combines practical cooking, conversation and peer support, helping participants feel capable in the kitchen and less alone at the table.
Living Solo, Living Well
A family and community cooking programme where children learn practical kitchen skills while cooking with purpose — preparing food to share with family members, community groups, or larger gatherings.Using surplus / waste food ingredients wherever possible, participants transform rescued produce into delicious meals, building confidence, teamwork and pride. The sessions end around a shared table — celebrating the joy of cooking for others and showing young people the power of food to nourish communities.Little Chef’s Community Kitchen
ROOTED Women’s Hormones & Health
A supportive, food-based programme working with female groups across different life stages — from puberty through to menopause. Each programme is tailored to the specific needs of the age group, offering practical cooking sessions and open conversation that explore how food can support hormonal balance, energy, mood and long-term wellbeing.
Rooted is well suited to schools, community groups and collaborative retreat settings, creating space for learning, connection and confidence around women’s health in a way that feels accessible, empowering and grounded in real life.
Fire & Flour. Pizza Workshops
From grain to oven: participants make pizza completely from scratch — mixing and kneading dough, preparing seasonal toppings, and cooking pizzas in a wood-fired/clay oven. This workshop is hands-on, energising and brilliant for all ages, combining practical cooking skills with learning about where our food comes from.Perfect for schools, youth groups, family days, and community events.All workshops can be delivered as a one-off workshop or a multi-week course, tailored for young people, families, or adults, with recipes and tools participants can take home and use straight away. Don’t see a workshop that fits, but know your group wants a food workshop experience? Get in touch! We’ll design a bespoke workshop for the needs of your group.
We’re proud to have worked alongside so many inspiring organisations over the years. From schools and grassroots community groups to local authorities and national charities, our partnerships help us reach more people through food, creativity and connection.
Want to bring a programme to your school, workplace or community group?
"I always sleep well after coming to The Shared Garden, all the physical work and digging wears me out. It's like, for that night, my anxiety is gone."
For a long time when I retired I just wasn't sure what to do with myself, got a bit down to be honest, but coming to Swp & Cinema and then joining Chop 'n’ Chat changed all that. Made some good friends too.”"
"Working with the Shared Plate to create our own women Led Catering company has changed our lives. The support we've had has been amazing. Now we know we can do it"