Category: Food

A Leamington foodie and presenter is helping to shine a spotlight on the efforts of a local charity to help tackle the rising food crisis in the area.

Bianca Rodrigues-Perry took a step behind the scenes for a project partnering with Coventry-based Feed The Hungry UK, for a special two-part episode of her YouTube show, entitled Shop Smart, released this week.

Feed The Hungry is a charity that supports people who are struggling to access food. This includes both international feeding programmes and projects based here in the UK. Two of Feed The Hungry’s local projects are Lillington Community Pantry, located in Leamington Spa, and Coventry foodbank, which is one of the largest foodbanks in the UK.

Bianca raised awareness by visiting both the Pantry and the Foodbank and using her platform to explore ways of shopping smart on a limited budget and making best use of basic ingredients.

She was joined by her production crew, along with friends and family before Christmas, to pack food parcels, destined for the 15 foodbank centres across the city.

The first part of the episode also captures her visit to the food pantry where she selected £5 worth of ingredients from which to cook four recipes in the Foodbank kitchen – Galinhada (rice cooked on chicken sauce); Chilli Con Carne from the tin (that she enhanced by adding garlic, onions, chopped tomatoes, spices, beans and fresh coriander); Chicken and Potato Soup; and Saute Cabbage and Red Pesto.

Bianca and her team brought a special buzz during her filming at the Halo Centre warehouse, in Binley, where, for the second part of the episode, she was filmed in the kitchen with Foodbank founder Canon Gavin Kibble MBE. The show also looks at the wider work of the international charity through interviews with volunteers and visitors.

Bianca said: “This episode of Bia’s Kitchen Show, titled Shop Smart, is incredibly close to my heart. I had the honour of partnering with Coventry Foodbank – a local initiative doing incredible work in the community – which is part of the global charity Feed the Hungry. “Through them, I was introduced to the Lillington Pantry, a space where people facing financial hardship can shop with dignity, paying just £5 to choose the food that suits their needs.

“To support the project, I created the concept of Shop Smart, which is the heart of this episode. I wanted to share practical tips on how to make a small budget go further – by planning meals in advance, combining fresh and tinned ingredients, and cutting down on waste.

“I even created three recipes on the spot during my visit! Later, I joined Gavin – the amazing founder of Coventry Foodbank – in the Community Kitchen, where surplus food is turned into wholesome meals for those who need them most.

She added: “Coming from a country where food insecurity is part of daily life, this experience really touched me. I’m proud to use my platform to shine a light on vital projects like this – and I truly believe it’s only the beginning. When we come together, we can make a real difference – one smart shop and one warm meal at a time.”

Coventry Foodbank distributes food through 15 partner churches and works closely with a wide range of care professionals who identify people in crisis and issue them with a foodbank voucher.

Clients bring their voucher to a foodbank centre where it can be redeemed for three days’ emergency food. Volunteers also meet them over a warm drink and can signpost them to other organisations to help resolve the longer-term problems that might cause someone to need to use a foodbank.

Gavin Kibble MBE said of the filming: “The vibrancy and dynamism of Bia in a kitchen environment is wonderful. It was lovely to work with her for a day producing a meal from £5 of ingredients from the Community Pantry. She produced a veritable feast of Brazilian-infused food ramped up to a different level of taste and excitement.

“We really appreciate the time she spent with us. I think we were all deeply impacted by her energy and enthusiasm and her creativity and we look forward to hopefully working with her again in the future.”

The Bia’s Kitchen brand was born in January last year, in which time it has won awards as well as the affections of a loyal and growing UK audience.

Bianca added: “We hope our support and the special episode of the show dedicated to the work of Coventry Foodbank and Feed The Hungry, can help make a difference.”

The two episodes are now available to be viewed here: Part 1 – Lillington Pantry

Part 2 – Coventry Foodbank

• One in five of the UK population live below the poverty line.
• There are just under 1,400 Trussell Trust food banks in the UK, in addition to at least 1,172 independent food banks.
• To find out more about Coventry Foodbank and the many ways you can help, visit HERE.
• Copies of Bianca’s recently released cookbook, Bia’s Kitchen Show – A Culinary Journey of Gratitude, dedicated to local independent food and drink businesses in south Warwickshire, are available from HERE and through Amazon HERE.

Two local entrepreneurs with a thirst for success have launched what is believed to be the world’s first subscription service designed to champion independent coffee shops – beginning in Warwick and Leamington.

Friends Rob Oakley and Alex Baker have teamed up to create Kuppso Coffee Club, a unique game-changing app which is set to inject a huge boost to the area’s café culture as well as its economy.

The app, which the pair hope to eventually take UK-wide, is rooted in their shared passion for community, encouraging more footfall away from national chains and into local independent coffee hotspots.

Simple to use, Kuppso allows customers to either subscribe or buy coffee packs, giving access to a range of hot drinks from a selection of independent partner venues with options for four, eight or 12 coffees a month – and by doing so users are rewarded with great coffee for as little as £2.50.

It marks the latest partnership for the self-confessed ’coffee nerds’ who met whilst band members after leaving university – and they’re hoping it will be just as harmonious!

Rob, 40, said: ”Alex and I have been working collaboratively with many similar clients, so we’re used to working really closely together. We’re both really ideas people and the concept behind Kuppso is something that’s always been in our minds. It’s something that we both felt was interesting and different. It feels like a good fit in terms of the skillsets we both have.
”This model not only ensures affordable, high-quality coffee for our customers but also drives footfall, revenue and visibility for local businesses.

“But also, I think it’s the fact that we live in somewhere like Leamington and Warwick, where we’ve got these amazing little businesses, we’re both big fans of coffee and big fans of nice little Independent businesses. It all sort of ties in together as something that just feels right, but also quite compelling, and different and fun to work on.”

Alex, 38, said: “Because it’s a subscription, it means there are people who are going to come back time and time again and everybody wins, really, because, as user, with your subscription you can get the coffee slightly cheaper and as a business, it attracts a repeat footfall and audience.

“It’s been really well received so far and the fact that in three months we’ve got 12 or 13 partners and a whole load more who want to join, it really shows that it’s working.”

Rob and Alex hope to build on what is set to be a successful launch in Leamington and Warwick, by introducing their app to other areas of the county in coming months, starting with Kenilworth, Stratford and Rugby.

The price point is also attractive to the customer who can expect to pay from as little as £2.50 per standard 12-ounce drink, depending on the length of subscription they take out. Everyone who downloads the app is gifted a free coffee and, in line with Kuppso’s sustainability ethos, a complimentary reusable cup, worth £25, is delivered to all new subscribers.

And Rob and Alex are already brewing plans to later introduce extra benefits for subscribers including exclusive offers on the wider menu and corporate incentives.

Rob, who also runs his own marketing consultancy, said: “But we don’t want to be price led. We want to be entirely about community and supporting independents. I’ve been working with small to medium businesses, putting growth plans and marketing strategies together for them, so it felt quite well aligned in terms of what I’ve been doing for the past five years.

“To date, Kuppso users don’t necessarily fall into a certain demographic. Coffee is the most consumed drink in the UK, therefore it will tend to attract quite a broad audience. They might be a remote worker, a creative, a fitness-conscious parent, or a cyclist—but they all share a love for quality coffee and indie culture and that, for us, is what it’s all about.”

He added: “It’s going to be difficult over the next year or so and hospitality businesses are going to really feel the squeeze. There’s a few things that are really impacting hospitality – such as the National Insurance increase, minimum wage going up, as well as the price of energy and the price of coffee. The business rates relief will be going down from 75% to 40%. It’s not an easy time for them so if we can improve the situation by bringing more people to their door, that’s great.”

The growing list of partners includes Leamington’s Brixton Yoga Kitchen, Corner Cottage Bakery and Wilhelmina and in Warwick: Spoon & Whisk, The Craftsman and Two Brothers.

Rob said: “We want some core businesses on the app where people get their coffee, but we also want to offer as part of the network, places that are maybe a little bit further out of town so, wherever you are, there’s a place you can go to, to use your app.

Part of the message behind the app is the convenience of it. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whether you’re working, whether you’re watching your kids play football, whether you’re going on a dog walk, it’s always an option for you to use this app. They might not all be traditional coffee shops, but you can get a really nice coffee from all these places.

“It’s a really great way of supporting local independents and a great way of exploring local coffee businesses.”

To download the Kuppso Coffee Club app visit HERE.