{{Short description|Social enterprise at HM Prison Pentonville}} {{Distinguish|Liberty's Kitchen}} {{Positive criminology sidebar}}
'''Liberty Kitchen''' is a social enterprise based at HM Prison Pentonville, London. It exists to train prisoners in high-quality food preparation, and to employ ex-prisoners to sell this food at street markets. Its intention is to open up opportunities to the men, including qualifications and the possibility of self-employment, and thus reduce recidivism.
Liberty Kitchen launched in 2016.<ref>{{cite news |title=Balls, no chains: This street-food stall is run by prisoners |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/restaurants/liberty-kitchen-balls-no-chains-as-prisoners-turn-chefs-a3674751.html |accessdate=19 June 2019 |work=Evening Standard |date=2 November 2017 |language=en}}</ref> Seed funding was provided by, among others, the Royal Society of Arts<ref>{{cite web |last1=Boston |first1=Janet |title=LIBERTY KITCHEN |url=https://www.thersa.org/discover/publications-and-articles/rsa-blogs/2018/03/liberty-kitchen |website=Royal Society of Arts |accessdate=19 June 2019}}</ref> and the Drapers' Company, one of the ancient livery companies of the City of London.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Drapers' Company - Social Welfare |url=https://www.thedrapers.co.uk/Charities/Latest-Charity-News/Relief-of-Need.aspx |website=www.thedrapers.co.uk |accessdate=19 June 2019}}</ref> Its board is chaired by Lord Falconer,<ref>{{cite web |title=A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE LONDON STREET FOOD PROJECT |url=https://www.amandinechefs.com/amandine-news/social-enterprise-london-street-food-project/ |website=Amandine |accessdate=19 June 2019}}</ref> and also includes Edward Faulks, Baron Faulks QC and the editor of ''Delicious'', Karen Barnes. Its patrons are Iqbal Wahhab and Gina Moffat,<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Board |url=http://www.libertykitchen.org/people/board/board.html |website=www.libertykitchen.org |accessdate=19 June 2019}}</ref> and its founder-director is Janet Boston.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Food Programme: An Education: Life lessons through food |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/m0005dyg |accessdate=19 June 2019 |work=BBC Food |language=en}}</ref>
Liberty Kitchen offers prisoners a 12-week programme leading to an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) in enterprise.<ref>{{cite news |title=This street food scheme trains prisoners as chefs |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/news/this-street-food-social-enterprise-trains-ex-prisoners-as-chefs-and-managers-013119 |accessdate=19 June 2019 |work=Time Out London |language=en}}</ref> The menu is centred on creative reinterpretations of meatballs, drawing on the prisoners' backgrounds for culinary ideas and London places for names. For example, the "Ball No Chain" range (referring to the idiom Ball and chain) includes a vegetarian ball made of broad beans, named Green Lanes after the Turkish area of North London.<ref>{{cite web |title=Liberty Kitchen |url=https://www.kerbfood.com/traders/liberty-kitchen/ |website=KERB - The Best of London Street Food |accessdate=19 June 2019}}</ref> Liberty Kitchen was singled out for positive mention in the 2018 report of the Independent Monitoring Board,<ref>{{cite web |title=Stop just locking prisoners up – rehabilitate them, says IMB at HMP Pentonville |url=https://www.imb.org.uk/stop-just-locking-prisoners-up-rehabilitate-them-says-imb-at-hmp-pentonville/ |website=Independent Monitoring Boards |accessdate=19 June 2019 |date=22 August 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> whose job it is to monitor the welfare of prisoners.
It won "Best Streetfood/Takeaway" at the 2019 BBC Food and Farming Awards<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 - Food and Farming Awards - The BBC Food and Farming Awards 2019 Winners |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1FwbXt9WFTXwSNbKJsDjdFC/the-bbc-food-and-farming-awards-2019-winners |website=BBC |accessdate=19 June 2019}}</ref> and so was featured on BBC Radio 4 ''The Food Programme''. In addition to street food, Liberty Kitchen caters for events; one company hired them for a staff lunch, describing this as a form of corporate social responsibility.<ref>{{cite web |title=CSR: Good Vibes are on the Menu with Liberty Kitchen |url=https://nkd.co.uk/good-vibes-with-liberty-kitchen/ |website=NKD |accessdate=19 June 2019 |date=1 November 2018}}</ref>
==See also== *Rehabilitation (penology) *Social integration *CulinaryCorps, an American organisation of cooking and philanthropy *The Clink (restaurant), another British prison rehabilitation scheme
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.libertykitchen.org/ Official website]
Category:2016 establishments in England Category:Organizations established in 2016 Category:Catering and food service companies of the United Kingdom Category:Prison restaurants Category:Social enterprises