The Gathering Blog

Gathering means to bring together and assemble things from various places and sources. A gathering describes group of people who come together, often for a specific and shared purpose. Gathering, as in foraging, is the act of finding, identifying, and collecting resources in the wild. In sewing, gathering is a technique that draws up fabric to produce soft folds that create volume and initiate movement. So gather round, as we share our gathering with you.

Chef Gigi’s trip to Le Rungis

Gigi's 32 hour trip to Le Rungis

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Introducing Luxury Without Excess

This Christmas, Social Pantry will be offering our take on “luxury without excess”. Think zero-waste recipes and sustainability-focused menu concepts, resourceful styling suggestions and upcycling ideas, ethical gift guides, money-saving tips and other resource-saving tricks to help you enhance your Christmas experience. Join Social Pantry in the countdown to Christmas by following the blog and

Everything You Need to Know about Alex Head’s, Founder of Social Pantry, Wedding Day

After founding Social Pantry over a decade ago and catering hundreds of weddings since then, the day finally came for our founder Alex Head to tie the knot. On 21st October 2022, Alex Head and George Hampson got married, marking one of the most significant moments in Social Pantry history! Having spent her career ensuring

Q&A with Sarah Turner, Head of Development

We sat down with Sarah Turner, Social Pantry’s Head of Development to talk about her background and how she came to lead the kitchen into a new style of food and menu development. When did you first start cooking? My granny was a chef and I’ve always loved cooking and just love food. When I

Going for our Accreditations: Becoming a B Corp Caterer

Social Pantry is no stranger to social issues. Having been a notable ex-offender employer since 2015, it’s in the company’s DNA to go above and beyond and drive change where it is much needed. This is something I considered deeply when I came on board as their dedicated sustainability consultant in 2021. It’s why I

7 Ways with Pumpkin: Zero Waste Recipes

Nothing says autumn has arrived quite like the abundance of seasonal squash and pumpkins this time of year. Synonymous with Halloween and Thanksgiving, this edible and decorative crop is everywhere – brimming from PYO patches and greengrocer shelves, lining our streets with glowing carved faces, appearing on menus in sweet and savoury dishes and painting our

Best Christmas Party Venues of 2022

The Christmas countdown has already begun and it’s time to start planning your Christmas party! Of all the preparations to begin early, booking a venue should take precedence as its common for popular venues and dates to be snapped up weeks, if not months, in advance. Social Pantry is a recommended catering provider for over 38 unique

Cooking with Jeremy Lee: Recipe and Conversation

Jeremy Lee, British celebrity chef and chef proprietor of Quo Vadis, is one of Britain’s most loved chefs. The voice of a thespian, the heart of a lion, a warmth that fills the room and generosity that knows no bounds. Famed for his peerless smoked eel sandwiches, golden crusted pies, pitch perfect martinis and exceptional

Every Last Crumb with James Ramsden: Recipe & Conversation

Every Last Crumb is a collection of thrifty, delicious, resourceful recipes designed to make the most of your bread, minimise food waste and inspire creativity from chef, food writer and cookbook author James Ramsden. James is one half of cult sandwich shop Sons + Daughters and co-founder of innovative Hackney restaurant Pidgin which serves a

Recipe: No Churn Coffee Stracciatella Ice Cream

Coffee and chocolate are two luxury commodities people often cite as not being able to live without. They also represent two of the most lucrative, environmentally and socially impactful industries after crude oil, which means how we source and consume coffee and chocolate can make a huge difference to the planet and the people involved

12 Sustainable Staycation Summer Activities

The post-pandemic trend of staycations is here to stay and with that brings plenty of summer activities to add to your bucket list. Staycations became a means of escape and survival in the face of travel restrictions, and in doing so, many people discovered the joys and conveniences of holidaying on home turf. Staycations tend

10 Celebration Cake Makers We Love

They say a party without a cake is just a meeting, and whilst we cater those too, we think things are a lot more fun when cake is involved. We love working alongside ultra talented and creative cake makers to arrange spectacular celebration cakes for our clients. If you love cake as much as we

What Are You Bringing To The Picnic?

“Everything tastes better outdoors” in a saying that resonates with us Brits. The great British picnic is emblematic of so much we are known for as a nation – our optimism at the first signs of a sunny day and stoic dismissal of signs of grey clouds or impending rain; the make do and mend

Sustainable Coffee: How to Make Each Cup Count

As the saying goes, what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while, and with over 2.25 billion cups of coffee consumed daily worldwide, it’s important that we make each cup count. Whilst Social Pantry specialises in helping people celebrate once-in-a-life-time events in sustainable style, our journey to becoming

The Best Gardens to Host a Party In

Nothing says English summertime quite like a quintessential garden party. We are a nation of green-fingered garden lovers, with a fancy for the finer things in life and the quaint traditions associated with British garden parties. When it comes to choosing your perfect outdoor party venue, there is so much choice – from manicured lawns

How to Host the Perfect Garden Party

With balmy temperatures, glorious sunshine and a summer of post-pandemic fun on the horizon, there has never been a better time to host a garden party. In our previous blog post, we discussed why al fresco dining is here to stay, and how trends in outdoor events reflect people’s renewed appreciation of both food and

Al Fresco Dining is Here to Stay

Britain’s longstanding love of the great outdoors has taken on a distinct culinary flair over recent years. Many of Britain’s most iconic meals and food scenes typically take place outdoors, with quaint English picnics, fish and chips or Cornish pasties enjoyed on the seafront, afternoon tea served in the garden, cricket match teas and sports

How to Feel Your Best on your Wedding Day: Interview with certified Intuitive Eating counsellor and registered nutritionist Ela Law

Many people see their wedding day as one of the most important and special days of their life, and at Social Pantry, we go above and beyond to curate and cater the perfect day. However, we are also very aware of the pressure that many women feel to look their best on their wedding day,

Press: Time Out, Hounslow’s Offender-Run Prison Cafe

We are absolutely delighted to have been featured in Time Out as part of their Love Local campaign highlighting the independent businesses that make London such an exciting, dynamic, progressive and inspiring city. In this article, Social Pantry founder Alex Head spoke about what led her to work with offenders and tackles the stigma surrounding

Seasonal Eating with William Dee, chef and author of The Food Year

Seasonality is at the heart of what we do at Social Pantry. We take a zero-waste, root-to-leaf approach to cooking, working exclusively with the best seasonal, local and sustainably sourced produce whilst forming long-lasting relationships with growers and makers that practice regenerative agriculture. Social Pantry forms part of a new wave of chefs looking beyond

Bridal Beauty with Florina Indries, Senior Medical Aesthetician at Linnaean

At Social Pantry we specialising in serving seasonal, sustainable and stylish food at beautiful events and weddings that place equal importance on ethics and aesthetics. We work alongside industry-leaders who share our values to deliver the perfect experience for our clients and ensure sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do. Linnaean is a

St Patrick’s Day: Robin Gill’s Beef, Guinness & Bone Marrow Pie

Dublin-born chef and restauranteur Robin Gill is best known for transforming Clapham into a culinary destination and bringing amazing modern Irish cuisine to London via his award-winning restaurants including Darby’s, Bermondsey Larder, Sorella, Rye By The Water and The Zebra Riding Club, and formerly also The Dairy. Robin has also been a longstanding supporter of

Design Restaurant by Social Pantry

Design Restaurant, by Social Pantry, an exciting new partnership with Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, is opening in March 2022 and will launch to coincide with London Design Week 2022, 14 –18 March. Design Restaurant by Social Pantry will be located in the Design Avenue, a stunning architectural space at the heart of the world’s premier

10 things you don’t need on your wedding day

Planning a wedding can be overwhelming. However, for everything you do need to organise, there are things you can do without. Social Pantry has over ten years of experience planning weddings on every scale, so we’ve learnt a thing or two about what matters most, and what you can get away without. Less can be

Social Pantry chef Amy heads to zero-waste restaurant Silo

Our chef Amy has just returned from a stage at the world’s first zero-waste restaurant, Silo. If you’re not familiar with the term, a stage is an internship that a chef takes to experience different kitchen environments and be exposed to new techniques. We invest in our chef’s long-term growth and development and support them

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