Project Food Charity

What Project Food Charity does

Project Food is a UK-registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (charity number 1173120), founded in 2006 and headquartered at Axminster Hospital in East Devon. It delivers free cooking education, nutrition support and healthy food programmes to address food insecurity, diet-related illness, and social isolation across East Devon, South Somerset and West Dorset. Its service portfolio spans community cooking classes (Energy Efficient Cookery, Cooking with Confidence, Man With a Pan, Chard Community Cook Alongs), health-condition programmes (Cooking with Diabetes, Food and Mood), family and SEND services (Good Grub Club, Kids' Kitchen, Make and Munch, Cooking with Kids, Recipe Boxes), youth engagement (Boss the Kitchen, Alternative Timetable sessions), and crisis-response services (Warm Space Chard, The Food Hub).

The organisation operates with a small paid team (1-10 staff) supplemented by volunteers, delivering programmes through community venues, schools (Axe Valley Academy, Axminster Primary, St Mary's Schools, Cranbrook Education Campus), and partner locations. Its business model is non-commercial: all services are free to beneficiaries, with funding sourced from individual donations (including Gift Aid), community fundraising events, and grants from institutional partners including The National Lottery Community Fund, Devon County Council, Devon Community Foundation, Seaton Town Council, and Seaton Hospital League of Friends. Strategic delivery partners include Abri Homes (housing association), River Cottage (Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall), NHS Property Services, and Chard Community Hub, which together provide referrals, co-delivery and venue access.

In 2025-26 Project Food supported a record 1,212 people and was awarded the British Nutrition Foundation Drummond Community Award. Reported outcome metrics include 71% of diabetes programme participants improving eating habits, 86% cooking more meals from scratch, 100% of recipe box families improving cooking skills, and at least one participant reducing HbA1c from diabetic to pre-diabetic levels. The CEO is Tiggy Parry, and the charity is governed by a board of trustees; it has no parent company and no equity funding.

Name

Project Food Charity

Legal name

Project Food

Website

https://project-food.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Project Food is a UK charity providing free cooking education, nutrition support and healthy food programmes to people facing food insecurity or diet-related illness across East Devon, South Somerset and West Dorset. It delivers community classes, recipe boxes and warm spaces funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Food Education and Nutrition Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD), Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Community cooking education
• Nutrition support services
• Food poverty charity
• Cooking skills training
• Healthy eating programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Axminster

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: The charity accepts donations via bank transfer, standing order, cheque, card payments, and cash. They also participate in Gift Aid scheme for UK taxpayers.
2. Charitable funding: Funded by grants from organizations including The National Lottery Community Fund, Devon County Council, and local partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Project Food is a UK charity that delivers free community-based cooking education, hands-on cooking sessions, and food support services to individuals and families facing food insecurity across East Devon, South Somerset, and West Dorset. The charity runs specialized programmes for diabetes management, family cooking, youth engagement, and older people, supplemented by free recipe boxes and warm spaces for people struggling with food and heating costs.

Product overview

Project Food is a food education charity offering a portfolio of cooking and nutrition support programs. The organization operates multiple service streams including community cooking classes (Energy Efficient Cookery, Cooking with Confidence, Man With a Pan), specialized health programs (Cooking with Diabetes), family support services (Good Grub Club, Make and Munch, Kids' Kitchen, Cooking with Kids), youth engagement (Boss the Kitchen, Alternative Timetable sessions), and crisis support (Warm Space, The Food Hub, Recipe Boxes). Programs are delivered at various locations across East Devon, South Somerset, and West Dorset including Axminster Hospital, St Mary's Centre in Chard, and local schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Energy Efficient Cookery Cooking courses designed to help community members reduce both food and energy costs through efficient cooking techniques, particularly aimed at people on low incomes and housing association tenants.
• The Food Hub A community food hub providing food support and cooking resources for local residents facing food insecurity in East Devon and South Somerset.
• Kids' Kitchen Cooking club for children in years 5 and 6 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to explore food and cooking in a friendly, inclusive environment.
• Cooking with Diabetes Sessions designed to support people living with or at risk of Type 2 diabetes to improve their health through practical, affordable food choices, building confidence and sustainable dietary changes.
• Warm Space Chard A warm, welcoming community space providing hot meals and warmth for people struggling to heat their homes, particularly during winter.
• Make and Munch Cooking sessions for families and young people to build cooking skills, confidence and positive relationships with food in a group setting.
• Good Grub Club Free family cooking classes delivered in partnership with Abri Homes housing association, focused on affordable healthy eating and reducing food insecurity for tenants and low-income households.
• Man With a Pan Men-only cooking group designed to help men build confidence in the kitchen and learn new skills, including older men cooking for the first time due to caring responsibilities.
• Chard Community Cook-Alongs Relaxed cooking sessions at St Mary's Centre bringing people together around food to share skills, build confidence, and create community connections. Open to parents, carers, people on low incomes, those experiencing mental health challenges, and people living with diet-related conditions.
• One to One Support Individualized support and information for people needing personalized help with cooking, nutrition, or food-related challenges.
• Cooking with Confidence Cooking group for individuals who may be cooking for themselves, caring for a loved one, managing a diet-related illness, or lacking cooking confidence.
• Boss the Kitchen Programme for young people at risk of exclusion, helping them build friendships, gain confidence and self-esteem, and learn to cook.
• Cooking with Kids After-school cooking club for families in Exmouth and Axminster, designed to help families cook healthy, affordable meals together. Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
• Food and Mood Project helping participants understand the connection between what they eat and how they feel, combining cooking and gardening sessions to improve mental health.
• Recipe Boxes Free recipe boxes provided to families with ingredients and simple recipes to cook at home, supporting food security and cooking skills development for families with children qualifying for free school meals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,212 people supported in 2025-26 (record)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NHS Property ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022NHS volunteers participated in cooking classes for children alongside River Cottage chefs at Axminster Hospital facilities.
• Abri HomescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association partnership delivering Energy Efficient Cooking courses, Good Grub Club family cooking sessions, and free recipe boxes for tenants and low-income households in Chard. Partnership focuses on reducing food insecurity and energy costs for residents.
• River CottagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with River Cottage, including cooking classes with River Cottage chefs, fundraising events at River Cottage HQ hosted by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and collaborative cooking programmes for children and families.
• Chard Community HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community organisation partner in Chard working together to deliver comprehensive community support programmes.
• Lords Larder Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood bank partnership supporting emergency food provision and longer-term food security in Chard area.
• Axe Valley AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal secondary school partnership where 25% of students come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Project Food delivers cooking sessions and food education, with students from this school participating in recipe box programmes.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• The Real Junk Food Project: Network of pay-as-you-feel community cafes using surplus food. Comparable community-led food security mission, but uses a cafe model rather than cooking-skills classes; overlaps with Project Food on tackling food waste and food access.

Broad incumbents

• Food for Life (Soil Association): Soil Association programme delivering food education and school food certification across the UK. Comparable on the food education and school engagement side, but operates as a national programme within a broader sustainability charity.
• FareShare: The UK's largest food redistribution charity, operating at national scale. Comparable on the food security mission, but operates a much broader logistics-led redistribution model rather than Project Food's local cooking-skills education approach.
• The Trussell Trust: UK's largest food bank network supporting communities facing hunger. Overlaps with Project Food's food security mission, but focuses on emergency food parcels rather than long-term cooking education and behaviour change.

Direct peers

• School Food Matters: UK charity focused on food education and school food improvement. Comparable to Project Food's schools-based programmes (Axe Valley Academy, Cooking with Kids, Alternative Timetable sessions) delivering food education to children and families.
• The Bread and Butter Thing: UK community food charity providing affordable food hubs and cooking support to families on low incomes. Operates a similar community food hub model with recipe boxes and food provision, comparable beneficiary base to Project Food.
• Magic Breakfast: UK charity providing healthy breakfasts and food education to school children facing food insecurity. Directly comparable on the school-based food education component of Project Food's portfolio (Cooking with Kids, Boss the Kitchen).
• Made in Hackney: London-based community cookery charity delivering free plant-based cooking classes to vulnerable groups. Closely comparable operating model — free community cooking classes, focus on health conditions and low-income households, volunteer-led delivery.
• Alexandra Rose Charity: UK food poverty charity running fruit and veg voucher programmes and food support. Comparable beneficiary focus on families with young children facing food insecurity, similar community delivery model.
• FoodCycle: UK charity combining surplus food with community meals and cooking education. Directly comparable to Project Food's community cooking and food security mission; both run free volunteer-led sessions targeting people facing food insecurity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ProjectFoodCharity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Project Food Charity