Healthy Living Pantries

Our pantries offer weekly choices of healthy food for a weekly pay-as-you-go price.

What are they?

A pantry is a low-cost, community shop offering members a weekly choice of healthy food for an affordable price. Food offered is a mix of fresh fruit and veg along with other food and cupboard staples.

The Pantry aims to:

Reduce your food shopping bills
Offer a diverse range of fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy food
Offer more choice than a food bank
Create a sense of community and solidarity
Reduce food waste from supermarkets and food suppliers

How does it work?

Each week our team of volunteers will welcome you and add your name to a list to be served. You decide the items you want - split evenly between fresh fruit and veg and long-life items. Your payment guarantees 10 fresh items and up to 10 extras from the longlife shelf.

You can choose either:

Mini Pantry - £2.50 for 5 fresh + up to 5 long-life = 10 items max.

Regular Pantry - £5 for 10 fresh + up to 10 long-life = 20 items max.

Once you have selected your items we can help you pack. There is no commitment and if you don’t need to visit one week, no problem! All subject to availability on the day. We try to plan as best we can but sometimes we experience higher demand than expected. We operate on a ‘first-come-first-served’ basis but we try hard to ensure everyone gets a fair choice.

Hear from the people that use our Pantries and our volunteers…

What kind of food do you offer?

The food we offer is a mixture of bought and donated food. Most food is fresh from a wholesaler and some is diverted from supermarkets and other food suppliers.

This is a sharing project. Portions change based on weekly stock levels and sometimes you will get extras. We do the best we can with the food we get each week.

Who can use the pantry?

Everyone! If you can get to us you are welcome to join us. We don’t ask about your financial situation and you don’t need a referral - we are here for everyone who needs us. Access to food is a priority and we will always do what we can with the food we have.

How does the Pantry use my £5?

Each week your pantry payments help to pay for a variety of good quality, diverse fresh fruit and vegetables. We buy these directly from a wholesaler. Our aim is for the Pantry to be self-sustaining. The more members we have paying, the more variety of fresh food we can offer you.

What is surplus food?

In the UK, 6.7 million tonnes of food is wasted per year to make more room for new stock because shops and businesses over-order. Surplus food can be fresh, frozen or long-life cupboard items.

Is surplus food safe to eat?

Yes. Most food is as fresh as what you find in the shops. But sometimes, surplus food may have passed or be close to passing its best before date. These dates are a guide to quality only.

Use-by or expiration dates on the other hand, are about food safety. We do not offer food that has passed its use by date as this could be harmful to health and is against the law.

What else happens at the Pantry?

We are not just about food. We try to connect you with other useful services and create a space to socialise with others in your community. We are run by an amazing team of local volunteers offering a friendly face and warm welcome. If you can spare a few hours and want to join the team, get in touch!

How do I sign up?

Simply turn up at any of the pantries and let one of our volunteers know that you’re new to add your name to the list, then relax and wait your turn. We may ask more about your food needs to help us plan better.