Ossie’s Kitchen – Community Café of Ashbourne was established in June 2019. It operates “for the community by the community” and pre-lockdown was providing 50 to 60 fresh-cooked meals once a month, from St Oswald’s Church Hall. This intergenerational social eating experience was set up to address loneliness, social isolation, and food poverty.

The project had to suspend operations due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the organisers anticipate it will be a further six months before they can resume normal service.

In the meantime, with the easing of restrictions, Ossie’s Kitchen now aims to address some of the COVID related issues facing the Ashbourne Community including increased food poverty, family financial difficulties, and those vulnerable and shielded individuals still requiring support. The provision of a weekly ‘Take Away’ Food Service will operate for the next six months, commencing week of 6th July 2020.

St Oswald’s Church Hall will remain closed for the foreseeable future with the exception of operating Ossie’s Kitchen. This means that only Ossie volunteers may enter the kitchen and use the toilets.

Rev. Nigel Rode said ‘We will provide a main cooked meal with vegetarian option, supplemented by fruit, yoghurt, cake etc depending upon supplies from FareShare.  There is no charge, though donations are welcome, £3 adult meals. £1 children’s meals and £2 for a bag of fresh produce’.

If you would like to find out more, please contact Rev. Nigel Rode by email [email protected]