Borough Market Will Prepare 1000 Meals for London’s Homeless Today

200 volunteers are currently peeling, chopping and cooking at Borough Market to provide 1,000 meals for London’s homeless population, following three recipes provided by an acclaimed chef and cookery teacher.

Wok for 1000, set up in 2016 by chef Jeremy Pang, works with London charities, food waste initiatives and the market itself to distribute food to those who need it most, while focussing on using ingredients that would otherwise be ignored or tossed in the bin.

Pang’s chief collaborator is Lotti Henley, co-founder of Plan Zheroes (Zero Food Waste Heroes) who seek to connect restaurants, cafés and other operators that would otherwise waste food with social enterprises and charities who can use said waste for good. Plan Zheroes was set up in 2009 — Henley herself lived through extreme hunger as a wartime refugee at the end of WWII.

The scale of the event goes beyond a one-off: Plan Zheroes organise bi-weekly collections of wasted food from four London markets, and their online platform for donations boasts 200 business and charities alike. Pang’s School of Wok initiative is committed to helping companies improve their relationship with their communities through Corporate Social Responsibility programs.

Today’s food will include Thai Green Curry, Laksa and 4,000 wontons — just a standard service for a brigade of 200. For those at the market today, tag any photos or comments with #eaterlondon on Instagram and Twitter.