An award-winning Development

The Hackney School of Food is the result of an ambitious development of a disused school caretaker’s house in a plot of land next to Mandeville Primary School in Hackney. East London.

The project has received numerous design awards. We’re very proud of our space and hope you will enjoy visiting.

A building with history

The school’s design uses simple materials and unfussy details, creating the maximum effect for the minimum budget.

The generous double-height kitchen space was created by stripping out all of the internal walls and floors from the old house. However, many of the original finishes and features have been left in place – including the rough plastered and blockwork walls and the old bathroom tiles – revealing some of the stories of the building’s former life.

Playful and accessible

The mixed palette of materials and textures was given continuity by being painted throughout.

The resulting aesthetic is inviting and playful, and suitable for the wide range of ages for whom the building was created. The height-adjustable cooking units were also specifically designed for the scheme to make it accessible to everybody.

Creative spaces, indoors and outdoors

Externally, the kitchen garden is a productive growing, learning and entertaining space capable of holding outdoor lessons and events for both adults and children.

The garden includes large planters, a sun terrace, a firepit and wood-burning pizza oven. The masonry planters are at a range of heights and double up as seating for outdoor lessons and alfresco eating.

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