About this episode
Sheila Dillon explores the potential for communal dining experiences in the UK, inspired by a unique event in Copenhagen.
A year after sharing a £10 supper with 200 strangers in Copenhagen’s Absalon - an old church turned community hub - Sheila asks whether that experience could be recreated in the UK. After all, communal meals here are often one-offs, sometimes pricey, or feel like generous soup kitchens. In this edition, Sheila meets people determined to change that; Ingrid Wakeling and Phil Holtam from Sussex Surplus are running trial communal dining events in Brighton, using surplus food to bring strangers together. Anna Chworow from Nourish Scotland is helping shape two pilot public diners - subsidised, everyday restaurants designed for everyone, while Jon Harper from Future Foundations explains how CanTeam is turning school canteens into community dining rooms. Sheila also visits The Long Table in Stroud - a pay-what-you-can community restaurant - to meet co-founder Tom Herbert, and is joined there by zero‑waste chef Max La Manna and Carly Trisk‑Grove from The Public Plate, who want every community to have their own low‑cost restaurant. Together, they discuss what it would take to make their dreams reality - and why they believe it matters. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in…
People in this episode
Host: Sheila Dillon
Guests: Ingrid Wakeling, Phil Holtam, Anna Chworow, Jon Harper, Tom Herbert, Max La Manna, Carly Trisk-Grove
Topics covered
- communal dining
- community meals
- surplus food
- low-cost restaurants
- social dining
- food sustainability
Keywords
- communal meals
- surplus food
- community dining
- pay-what-you-can
- social impact
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Sussex Surplus, Nourish Scotland, Future Foundations, The Long Table, The Public Plate
Places: Copenhagen, Brighton, Stroud
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