Canteen, Frome's 'pay-what-you-can' community restaurant, is popping up again in Frome on Tuesday April 1 serving affordable, delicious and locally sourced food.

The project has been set up by the Frome Food Network to improve wellbeing in the town and aims to give wider access to responsibly-sourced, well-cooked, delicious food and to bridge the gap between local food and local people.

The Canteen chefs will be dishing up at the Trinity Hall, Frome from 5pm-7pm and reservations are not needed, all diners have to do is pop along any time from 5pm. Food is served until it runs out.

To participate, diners buy a canteen token at the till (or ask for 'a token for Jo' to receive one for free), then exchange the token at the nearby hatch for a meal.

Creating a sense of community and togetherness is at the heart of the project and organisers hope the restaurant will attract people from across the town to come along and enjoy a meal with their neighbours and meet new friends. 

Families with children are also very welcome and there will be a designated children's area for kids who want to play after enjoying their dinner.

Canteen's dishes are based around seasonal fruit and vegetables with meat being sourced from local, regenerative, and ethical suppliers.

On the night there will be a choice of two dishes and pudding – with expert cooks serving up comforting and delicious favourites, such as pie and mash, curries and stews. 

The model has been designed to make it affordable for all with the cost of a meal dependent on how much the diner would like to pay.

Diners can pay over or under the actual cost of the meal or you can eat for free. Whatever is affordable.

On the day there will be an indication of how much a single meal costs to make and as Canteen is not-for-profit, it only seeks to cover that cost.

It is the product of a Frome Food Network 2025 residency with Future Shed, which offers practical support to get green and healthy initiatives and enterprises off the ground.

Future Shed is part of the Green & Healthy Frome partnership programme of Edventure, Frome Medical Practice and Frome Town Council.

Further information about Canteen and the Frome Food Network can be found at https://www.fromefoodnetwork.co.uk/canteen.