A vibrant new community café has officially opened at the Meadows Community Centre on Arbury Road, bringing together great food, community connection and a shared ambition to create a fairer and more sustainable local food system.
The Arbury Social serves delicious, freshly prepared meals made from scratch using seasonal, surplus and locally sourced ingredients. The approach helps reduce food waste and lower emissions while providing fresh, affordable food for residents.
The initiative is about much more than just the cafe itself. Run by Cambridge Sustainable Food CIC, in partnership with Cambridge City Council, The Arbury Social runs on a not-for-profit basis, meaning every meal sold helps fund food projects in the local area. These include holiday lunch programmes, meals for local food hubs, community food events and the redistribution of surplus food to those who need it most.
Alongside its café offer, The Arbury Social will host shared meals, cookery sessions, pop-up events, volunteering opportunities and a pay-it-forward scheme, creating new ways for people to come together, learn new skills and build community connections through good food.
The café has been made possible through refurbishment works funded by Cambridge City Council, transforming the former café space within the Meadows Community Centre into a welcoming community hub where residents can eat, meet and take part in activities centred around food, sustainability and wellbeing.
Sam Dyer, CEO of Cambridge Sustainable Food, said: “We’d love to see the cafe become a lively hub for the local community, where people can not only eat well but connect with others and feel part of something really positive. The Arbury Social does this in a way that also supports local growers and businesses and helps create a fairer and more sustainable food system in Cambridge. We’re really excited to be able to offer this new community space and can’t wait to welcome everyone in”.
Cllr Mike Todd Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities at Cambridge City Council, said: "We're delighted to support the launch of The Arbury Social. By investing in improvements at The Meadows Community Centre, we've helped create a welcoming community space where residents can come together, enjoy affordable food and take part in activities that benefit both people and the planet.
"This project is about much more than a café. As a council, we want everyone in Cambridge to have the opportunity to live well, feel connected to their community and access healthy, affordable food. The Arbury Social will help bring people together, create volunteering and skills opportunities, and provide a place where residents can connect and build community.
"This is an excellent example of the council working with local partners to benefit different parts of our community. Through our partnerships with Cambridge Sustainable Food and New Meaning Foundation, we're creating opportunities for local people while supporting organisations that make a real difference to residents' lives."
The refurbishment works were carried out by New Meaning Foundation, an award-winning social enterprise that helps people gain skills, training and employment opportunities. Their involvement reflects a shared commitment to creating opportunities for local people, helping residents develop skills, gain confidence and build pathways into employment.
The launch of the café also marks the start of a new ready-meal project, being developed by Cambridge Sustainable Food as part of a joint DEFRA-funded programme with Cambridge City Council to strengthen Cambridge's community food system.
Using locally grown, seasonal and surplus ingredients, the project will create a range of nutritious, cooked from scratch affordable meals for distribution through local food hubs and social supermarkets. The initiative is also funded by Illumina, through its ongoing partnership with Cambridge Sustainable Food, and supported by ibis Hotels Cambridge, bringing together public, community and business partners to increase access to good food while reducing waste and supporting a more sustainable local food system.
Hollie Church, Regional Head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Europe at Illumina said, “At Illumina, we believe strong communities are built through collective action and investment in local solutions. We are proud to support Cambridge Sustainable Food's innovative work to tackle food insecurity and reduce food waste, creating healthier and more sustainable communities across Cambridgeshire. The opening of the community café is an exciting milestone, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have for local residents for years to come."
For opening times, menu and more visit: cambridgesustainablefood.org/arburysocial
