Alperton café uses surplus food to train hospitality students

The Pantry, located at the Grand Union Community Hub in Alperton, is the brainchild of Taz Khan, founder of London’s Community Kitchen.

The café, open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, is run by students from the College of North West London and City of Westminster College.

College students serve up zero-waste dishes at new Alperton café (Image: TONY HUSSEY) The students transform daily deliveries of surplus food donated each day from companies including Marks & Spencer, Amazon and the recently opened Grand Union Co-Op store into meals for customers.

Mr Khan said: “The Grand Union Community Hub in Alperton is set to become a thriving cornerstone for our diverse Brent community.

“This essential space welcomes all, offering a safe haven to connect, mingle, and grow together.”

The initiative is part of London Community Kitchen’s ‘zero waste, zero hunger’ campaign, which intercepts around 75 tonnes of food from going to landfill each week.

Café proceeds reinvested into wider food support across the capital (Image: TONY HUSSEY) Proceeds from The Pantry are reinvested into helping communities across London fight food insecurity – when households cannot afford to buy food regularly.

Stephen Davis, CEO and group principal of United Colleges Group, said: “We are proud to be part of The Pantry community café; a project that embodies inclusivity and community empowerment.”

The café also serves as a training ground for students, providing them with hands-on hospitality skills.