Currently in pop-up form, Canteen is managed by Frome Food Network: it is a project set up by, and for, the Frome community to improve wellbeing and access to responsibly-sourced, well-cooked food; bridge the gap between local food and local people; and generally further a sense of togetherness.
Canteen is inspired by projects and concepts such as The Long Table, The Big Lunch, the comforting but somewhat short-lived British Restaurants of the 1940s, and the National Food Service.
Artists: Cherry Truluck and Annalee Levin, Photographer: Peter Halpin
Step 1: Buy a Canteen token at the till, or ask for ‘a token for Joe’ to get a free one
Step 2: Either turn in your token at the adjacent hatch for a meal, or give it to someone else for their own
Step 3: Join other guests at the table, and welcome others to sit with you
Step 4: Eat and enjoy
Artists: Cherry Truluck and Annalee Levin, Photographer: Peter Halpin
The cost of a meal at Canteen is up to how much you’d like to pay for it. Even if that’s nothing.
On the day, there will be an indication of how much a single meal at Canteen costs to make. Since Canteen is not-for-profit, it only seeks to cover that cost. Currently, the suggested donation for a meal is £10.
The food served at Canteen is hearty, nutritious, familiar, and – most importantly – delicious. Think pie and mash, ragu, curries, stews, and so on.
Canteen’s dishes are based around seasonal fruit and vegetables. Meat is from local, regenerative, and ethical sources.
©Celie Nigoumi
Due to the fact this is a public kitchen, we cannot guarantee any food to be free of nuts, gluten, etcetera. Please ask at the till about any dietary requirements to make sure it’s suitable for you. Or, if you need to know in advance, contact Hugh via hugh@fromefoodnetwork.co.uk
Children are welcome to come and eat too, provided they are accompanied and looked after by a responsible adult. There is a designated children’s zone in the corner of the dining hall (left as you come in).
Canteen is currently at proof-of-concept stage. We’d love to help set up a community restaurant in Frome permanently, but we need to fully understand what the community wants from it first – if indeed it wants it at all.
Canteen’s next pop-ups are at Trinity Hall, Frome:
5pm-8pm, Friday 25th October & Friday 15th November 2024
No reservation needed – pop along any time from 5pm. Food is served up to 8pm, or until it runs out.
Stay up-to-date on Canteen via Instagram, or Frome Food Network’s Facebook page.
Canteen is the product of a Frome Food Network 2024 residency with Future Shed, which offers practical support to get green and healthy initiatives and enterprises off the ground through building networks, funding residencies, connecting people, and start-up coaching.
Future Shed is part of Edventure, an organisation supporting community entrepreneurship in Frome.
greenhealthyfuturefrome.org/future-shed-frome
Green & Healthy Frome is a unique partnership of Edventure Frome, Frome Medical Practice and Frome Town Council taking action on health and climate in our town. Funded by The National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund, we’re working together on this community-led initiative to ensure there are many ways to live greener and healthier lives in our town.