https://www.positive.news/society/come-dine-with-us/
"On a cool late winter evening in the heart of the English Cotswolds, I get my
first glimpse of an old industrial building that I have heard so much about.
The crumbling white brick walls and ivy that snake into the broken windows make
it look isolated and desolate, but as I step inside Brimscombe Mill, it buzzes
with life.
Children weave between benches. Cutlery clinks against enamel plates. A roaring
fire kicks out steady heat. At one end of the vast hall, a local band, Ordinary
Folk, tune their fiddles and guitars. Around the edges, community-oriented
micro-businesses have set up stalls: a furniture scheme, a bike workshop, a
clothes mending project and a children’s clothes shop. In the middle, two long
wooden tables fill up with a mix of families, students, retirees and the
after-work crowd.
This is The Long Table, a restaurant built on what it calls “radical
hospitality”. The concept is straightforward. There are just one or two dishes
on the menu, you sit wherever there is space, and you pay what you can afford.
No proof is required. Guests are accepted at face value. If you can pay more
than the suggested price, you are invited to do so. If you need to pay less, or
nothing at all, you are equally welcome. On the night I visit, the base price
for a meal to cover their costs is £10.30.
In the middle of a cost of living crisis, when food prices remain high and
eating out has become a luxury for many, that flexibility makes the difference
between staying home and stepping out. But The Long Table is careful not to
frame itself as charity. Emma Hurrell, its food resilience lead, is clear that
they “function as a business” and not at the whims of funding. The aim is
long-term resilience, not short-term thrills.
The numbers tell their own story. Last year, 38,305 meals were served. Around
half were paid for at below cost price, and 10% were “community meals” with no
charge. Those who are able to pay more effectively help to underwrite those who
cannot."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
