Good Food for All

Planted vegetables in two planters with the signs 'food' and 'matters' stick into them
Barking Food Forest. Photo: Thames Life

Grow – Cook – Eat programme is helping more people in Barking and Dagenham to grow their own food, cook and eat together, boost cooking confidence and share new recipes and tips on preparing low-energy, low-cost, nourishing and tasty meals.

'Come cook with us!' cook book front cover

Find cooking and growing clubs near you

Visit our website page to learn how to grow and cook delicious and nutritious meals. Join our cooking community for free!

We’ve even made a community cookbook with recipes gathered from across the borough!

Struggling with the rising cost of food?

Click here for information about local food banks, community food clubs and local money and debt support:

Our Good Food Partnership and Plan

The detailed 6 points of 'A system approach'

These community programmes form part of our ‘Good Food Plan’ to build a more affordable, healthy and sustainable local food system – due to be launched later this year.

Our research with over 500 people, community food projects and food businesses in Barking and Dagenham showed a strong desire for the Council to do more to support access to fresh, healthy and sustainable food for all communities.

Barking & Dagenham is one of over 90 places nationwide taking collaborative action to improve food as part of the Sustainable Food Places. The work is informed by a cross-sector Good Food Partnership and advisory group that brings together representatives from residents, businesses, schools, voluntary and social sector organisations interested in improving local food. 

“From obesity, ill-health, and food poverty, to waste, climate change and biodiversity loss, our current food system is causing some of our biggest problems. Yet food is also part of the solution.”

Sustainable Food Places
Sustainable food places logo

Join our movement

Fill out the form to join our Good Food Partnership to get involved and receive email updates and invitations to events 

Good Food Partnership – advisory group members

Asma Haq 

Marks Gate Relief Project  

Avril McIntyre 

Community Resources 

Cam Jarvis 

Company Drinks  

Chris Kapnisis 

Kingsley Hall 

Emdad Rahman 

Book Bike  

Jah 

Ritchie’s Bakery 

Jo Wilson 

Barking and Dagenham Council 

Kamila Bouroiba 

Couleur Café  / Resident Researcher 

Karen West-Whylie 

Barking Enterprise Centre 

Katy Barker/Julie Brown 

Growing Communities 

Mike Brannan 

Barking and Dagenham Council 

Nighat Bola 

HumDum 

Tess Lanning 

Barking and Dagenham Council 

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