The Village Kitchen Experiment

We are pleased to be in parternship with Ekho Collective to run The Village Kitchen Experiment: Community Food Garden and Cooking Project at Hawbush Community Gardens in Brierley Hill.

The project is designed for people to have the chance to take part in growing, cooking, and sharing food in a supportive, multigenerational community setting.

What The Project Offers

The Village Kitchen has grown into something really special - a place where people come together not just to cook and eat, but to find peace, make friends, and build real community. It offers:

Hands-on sessions where people learn to grow food, prepare and cook fresh produce, and share meals together – both indoors and outdoors on a campfire
Recipes and tips to help families make the most of low-cost ingredients
Opportunities to take food home or collect freshly cooked meals if time is short
A space for people to share skills, build connections, and support one another – creating a “village-like culture”

Why It Matters

The project is hoped to support local people to:

Gain confidence in cooking and growing fresh food
Try new ingredients and learn about their health benefits
Build stronger community connections by cooking and eating together
Access free, fresh food to supplement store cupboard items from the foodbank
Learn practical ways to make food go further and reduce reliance on emergency support.

The long-term impact of the project is hoped to make participants feel more confident, connected, and resilient. The learning and recipes developed will also be shared widely, inspiring other communities across the Black Country to start their own food growing and cooking projects.

Thank you to CoLab Dudley for their support in helping to the get the project off the ground and for the match funding provided by the National Lottery Climate Action Fund.