Food: Open Kitchen bring eco-friendly sustainable cafe to People’s History Museum

Manchester’s eco-conscious food experts Open Kitchen will be taking over the cafe space at People’s History Museum when the venue reopens on Wednesday 19 May. This green partnership aims to become the first cafe in the country that reuses food which would otherwise go to waste, creating a fully sustainable food experience at a museum that also champions bold ideas worth fighting for.

Open Kitchen at People’s History Museum will overlook the River Irwell in Spinningfields and work closely with a number of local businesses to source food that would otherwise not be used. Additional ingredients will be sourced from a sustainable food chain – with seasonal and fair trade products purchased from small businesses and social enterprises – and used to create a menu of predominately vegetarian and vegan dishes, alongside a limited array of meat options using Pasture for Life reared and locally sourced meat. This combined approach will set Open Kitchen apart as the first cafe of its kind to rely on a mixture of reused and sustainably sourced produce.

This environmentally-conscious ethos will spill over into all areas of Open Kitchen’s new space, with its fit-out created from upcycled materials and staff uniforms from fair trade, organic and locally made materials. Takeaway packaging will be 100% compostable and as a Real Living Wage employer, their team hope to create a batch of decent, stable jobs in the hospitality sector.

Manchester foodies may recognise Open Kitchen from their pay-as-you-feel pop-up cafe on Oxford Road which closed in 2019. They’ve since gone on to become the city’s leading conscious catering company, facilitating private and corporate events with eco-friendly meals. All of their profits go directly towards helping local food banks and homeless charities, alongside community-focused projects. During the pandemic, their team were crucial in providing meals to local communities as part of Manchester Emergency Food Response Team. To learn more, visit People History Museum’s website.