Coexist Community Kitchen

Tomorrow’s Guest Chef is Nijood, bringing the flavours of Sudan 🇸🇩 On the menu: 🌶️ Mahshi Traditional Stuffed Mixed Vegetables Served with Fresh Salad A comforting selection of stuffed seasonal vegetables, delicately filled with fragrant rice, herbs, and spices. Choose your option: 🌿 Vegetarian – Rice, herbs & seasonal vegetables 🍖 Non-Vegetarian – Rice, herbs & minced meat Serving Wednesday 13th May from 12:30–2pm at Coexist Community Kitchen (BS5 6JF) £6.50 veggie / £7.50 meat Come by, grab a box, and support an amazing local chef 💛 Also, a little heads up that this is our second-to-last Guest Chef Wednesday before we take a short pause to regroup and focus on securing funding for the training programme connected to the project. We’re really hopeful we’ll be back again soon — and in the meantime, we’d love to see as many of you this week and next week to celebrate the brilliant chefs who’ve made these lunches so special.

As a kitchen and community project, we love vegetarian cooking. It’s one of the most joyful ways to celebrate seasonal produce — good for us, good for the planet, good for the pocket, and at the heart of so much of what we do. But with 5,000 people coming through our doors each year, and much of our work funded through catering, we do also cook with meat when it’s requested. When we do, we make sure it’s high welfare, responsibly sourced, and used with care — making the most of every part so nothing goes to waste. Amongst our chef team, we’re lucky to have some brilliant in-house skills in butchery and nose-to-tail cooking. Recently, our chef Mel spent two days training with Sally Ann Hunt at the amazing @schoolofartisanfood learning traditional whole-animal techniques rooted in sustainability, skill, and respect. Together they broke down a whole pig and turned it into terrines, bacon, pies, sausages and more — with almost nothing wasted. Mel fed everyone BBQ Xinjiang liver and earned the title 'offal queen'. It was thoughtful, practical, deeply skilled cooking, and a brilliant reminder of what respectful meat cookery can look like. So — still with us? We’d love to know if there’s an appetite for a Nose to Tail cooking workshop at Coexist this autumn. A thoughtful, hands-on class exploring how to cook more sustainably, confidently, and with less waste. If that sounds like your kind of thing, comment NOSE TO TAIL below and we’ll DM you a link to register your interest. If enough people are keen, we’ll programme it for autumn. Spaces would be very limited - so we'll let you guys know first so you can bag a spot!

Join us tomorrow night for our May monthly community meal 🍽️ On the menu this month: – Taiwanese braised tofu – Stir-fried Chinese greens – Mixed grain rice – Mushroom + veg broth Followed by: – Custard buns – Fresh oranges Haven’t been before? Our monthly meals are simple but special gatherings that bring our community together around the table. Once a month we pause, sit down, and share good food and good company. We start serving from 6:30pm — we recommend arriving then, or coming around 7:30pm for the second sitting. This meal is offered freely to our community, with no expectation for anyone to pay. If you’re in a position to contribute, donations are always appreciated.💛 Your support helps us continue hosting these monthly meals and keeps them free and accessible to all. 📆 Thursday 6th May 📍Coexist Community Kitchen, BS5 6JF

Tomorrow's guest chef is Fatma, bringing the flavours of Turkey 🇹🇷 On the menu: 🍆Karniyarik (meat option) Aubergine stuffed with slow-cooked minced beef & warming spices (Halal) 🍆Imam Bayildi (veggie option) Aubergine stuffed with tomato, onion, peppers & olive oil 🥒Cacik Cucumber, fennel, mint and strained yogurt, served with olives (V, D) 🍚Baldo Rice Creamy, plump grains made to soak up every bit of flavour (V) Serving Wednesday 6th May from 12:30–2pm at Coexist Community Kitchen (BS5 6JF) £6.50 veggie / £7.50 meat Come by, grab a box! #GuestChefWednesday

*MENU CHANGE* On the menu tomorrow: Chef Amtul is in the kitchen with us serving up a proper lunchtime treat 💛 Joining us from Pakistan, Amtul will be cooking a beautiful spread of comforting, flavour-packed dishes: 🍗 Butter chicken with rice and salad 🥬 Dahl maash , rice and naan Serving from 12:30–2pm at Coexist Community Kitchen (BS5 6JF) £6.50 veggie / £7.50 meat Come by, grab a box!

What a joy of a Taste of Home session today 💛🇵🇸 This afternoon, Amany brought everyone together to share the flavours of Palestine and taught us how to make one of its most iconic dishes — Makloubeh (مقلوبة), the beautiful upside-down rice dish that, as you can see, delivers a real wow moment when revealed… followed by the very fun tradition of giving the pot a few good taps with spoons before the big lift! Layered with spiced rice, chicken, chickpeas and fried vegetables, then dramatically turned out onto the table, it was every bit as delicious as it was impressive. We had it with Baba Ghanouj — smoky grilled aubergine blended with tahini, yoghurt, garlic and lemon — followed (of course) by cake to finish 🍰 A huge thank you to Amany for sharing your food, your knowledge and a little taste of home with us. These sessions are always about so much more than cooking — they’re about culture, connection, and the joy of gathering around good food together.

We recently said goodbye to this ABSOLUTE LEGEND of a human — the one, the only Miss Joey Callender-Wood. Otherwise known as Jojo, José and Gentle Incremental! Words really aren’t enough to explain just how much Joey has given to Coexist. After six incredible years, she’s left us with an enormous Joey-sized hole in our hearts — and some very large kitchen clogs to fill — BUT she’s also left one hell of a legacy. Over the years, Joey helped deliver hundreds of outreach workshops, supporting thousands of people across Bristol — building connection, confidence, and in many cases long-lasting friendships. She was the driving force behind so much of our sustainability and green practice (which we’ll proudly keep building on), helped shape new courses, looked after our ever-growing crew of brilliant volunteers, headed up countless catering jobs, introduced Easton to the magic of homemade ice cream with some truly banging flavours (we’re still holding out for a guest return of Eastcones) 🍨, and flew the flag for Italian food with tray after tray of Nonna-worthy pasta, perfect risottos and tiramisù that could stop you in your tracks. We’ll miss her beyond belief, but we’re also so excited for her as she heads off on her next adventure as a geography teacher. It’s safe to say Joey has taught all of us a huge amount over the years — and there are some very lucky students out there about to find that out too. We know Joey has touched so many lives in this community too, so please do share your love for her here. 💚💚💚 We’d love to hear your memories, messages or well wishes for one of our all-time favourite people. And the best bit? Joey isn’t leaving Coexist completely — we’re very lucky she’ll be sticking around as a volunteer on our Board of Directors 😊

Do you have a favourite dish that reminds you of home? We’d love you to share it with us 💛 Taste of Home is a free, welcoming cooking session for people who have come to the UK as refugees or are seeking asylum. It’s a chance to cook together, share recipes from your culture, and tell the stories behind your food. Come along to meet new people, learn new skills, and enjoy dishes from around the world — no pressure, just good food, connection and community. We have a couple of spaces left for our class next week - details below: 📅 Tuesday 28th ⏰ 10am – 1pm 📍 Coexist Community Kitchen, Easton, Bristol If you’re a support worker or work with people who might benefit, you’re very welcome to refer someone or help them book a place. To book a place, or refer someone you support, email Ella: 📧 [email protected] We can help cover the costs of public transport if needed.

It's Guest Chef Wednesday folks!👩‍🍳🔥 We’ve got the amazing Diloo and Roots back in the kitchen today — always such a joy to have them with us 💛 Today they’re bringing you a beautiful Sri Lankan menu full of bold, warming flavours: 🍛 Sri Lankan Chicken Curry Spicy chicken cooked in roasted spices and coconut milk, served with tempered lentils for a rich, deeply satisfying dish (DF/GF) 🥔 Sri Lankan Potato Curry Fresh green chillies with a blend of spices and tender potatoes, finished in a creamy coconut milk sauce (VG/GF) 🍚 Yellow Rice Fragrant rice with cashews and crispy fried onions — traditionally served at festive occasions (V, GF, contains nuts) ⏰ Serving 12:30–2pm 💷 £6.50 veggie / £7.50 meat Come down, grab a plate, and support our budding chefs! 😊

🍜 Guest Chef Wednesday tomorrow at Coexist 🍜 We’re excited to welcome Jenny into the kitchen tomorrow, bringing you some delicious flavours straight from Hong Kong 🇭🇰✨ Here’s what’s on the menu: 🥢 Crispy Noodles with Chicken A famous Chinese restaurant crowd-pleaser! Tender chicken served with crunchy noodles for that perfect contrast of textures. (Contains: gluten, egg, soya, sesame) 🥢 Crispy Noodles with Mushroom & Veg (Vg) Think chow mein… but crunchier! A satisfying plant-based twist packed with flavour. (Contains: gluten, egg, soya, sesame) Serving 12:30-2pm at Coexist (BS5 6JF), £6.50 for veggie, £7.50 for meat option. Come by, grab a plate, and treat yourself to something special 💛

🍲 Guest Chef Lunch this tomorrow! We’re really excited to welcome Loveness back to the Coexist Kitchen, cooking up some proper warming comfort food from Zimbabwe to help us through this chilly spring weather. On the menu: 🥩 Zimbabwean Beef Stew – tender beef in a rich tomato sauce with greens (GF, Halal) 🌱 Zimbabwean Bean Curry – a hearty, nourishing bean stew (VG, GF) 🥣 Sadza – traditional creamy maize porridge, perfect for soaking up all that goodness (VG, GF) 🕒 12:30 – 2pm 💚 £6.50 veggie | £7.50 meat Come grab a bowl, warm up, and enjoy some beautiful Zimbabwean home cooking. See you tomorrow! 💛

Did you know that in the last year we cooked up almost 9,000 meals to support people across Bristol? 🍽 It’s all part of our weekly fresh meals service for people experiencing food insecurity, or facing barriers to cooking — such as not having access to a kitchen or living with health challenges. And guess what… we’ve just been selected to receive support from the King Charles III Charitable Fund @kingcharlesfund 🎉 This funding will help us keep this service running, and also support a series of cookery classes for young people — creating a welcoming space where they can build confidence, learn practical skills, and enjoy cooking and eating together. At a time when funding for community work like ours has been particularly tough to secure, this support really means so much. And, as always - a massive shout out to our amazing staff team and volunteers — who show up week in, week out to make sure this important work happens. 💛 #KingCharlesIIICharitableFund #BristolCommunity #FoodJustice #CommunityKitchen #FoodForAll #BristolCharity #FoodInsecurity #CookingTogether #BristolFood