Hackney School of Food
Hackney School of Food – Teaching Kitchen and Community Food Hub
- Location: Clapton, London
- Status: Completed 2020
- Client: LEAP Federation and Chefs in Schools
- Main Contractor: Modernarc
- Services Engineer: Peter Deer & Associates
- Structural Engineer: Structure Workshop
- Graphic Design & Illustration: Jean Jullien
- Landscape Design: Surman Weston, Lidia D’Agostino
- Photography: Jim Stephenson, Percy Weston
- Team: Percy Weston, Tom Surman, Hilton Murrell, Ana Moldavsky
Project Overview
The Hackney School of Food is part of a nationwide initiative to teach children how to grow, cook and eat healthy food. Launched by the charity Chefs in Schools and Hackney’s LEAP Federation, the project transformed the former caretaker’s house at Mandeville Primary School into a teaching kitchen and productive gardens serving local schools and community groups.
Social Value and Programme
The scheme was designed to deliver maximum social value within a limited budget. Careful space planning allows a class of 30 children to be taught simultaneously by the school’s in-house professional chef. Flexible programming enables schools across the borough to access cooking workshops, with around 4,000 children visiting each year.
Design for Inclusion
Robust materials and simple detailing create spaces that are both functional and welcoming. The site is designed for use by both children and adults, with custom height-adjustable cooking stations made from off-the-shelf components – a cost-effective solution that allows people of all ages and abilities to cook together comfortably. Planting beds set at varying heights extend this inclusive approach into the fully accessible productive gardens.
Whole Community Use
The project’s aesthetic is designed to be inviting and playful without becoming infantile, appealing to a wide range of age and community groups. Outside school hours and during holidays, the kitchen and gardens are used by local community groups as part of an adult food programme. The building has become a local landmark, marked by a lively mural that announces its presence to the street.
Delivery and Recognition
The project was won by Surman Weston through an invited competition and completed in 2020. It has since received a 11 of awards, including the RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize (2022), the William Sutton Prize for Social Innovation (2021), and the Civic Trust Special Award for Community Impact & Engagement (2021).