Features / Feeding Bristol
A stronghold for reclaiming food sovereignty
In the light-filled rooms of Southmead’s newly refurbished Greenway Community Centre, around 40 residents gathered to explore this year’s Food Justice Fortnight theme: Food and Power.
Food Justice Fortnight, a citywide initiative curated by Feeding Bristol, is designed to explore how food intersects with access, dignity and equity.
More than a tasting menu, the evening offered space to connect, reflect, and rethink the role of food in everyday life, particularly in a community where access to healthy options is limited.
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At the heart of it all was Café Des Amis, a small but impactful cafe aiming to prove that food can be a tool for wellbeing.
The evening’s vegan menu was displayed on place mats – photo: Lyndsey Gethin
Run by Lyndsey Gethin, 46, and her partner Glenn Lawson, 55, the café has become a trusted anchor in the Southmead community.
Their mission extends far beyond serving food. It’s about reimagining what community nourishment can look like in one of Bristol’s most deprived wards.
In line with the theme of food and power, Glenn and Lyndsey have aimed to provide information on how healthy eating can start with small changes at a small price tag.
“In Southmead, access to fresh fruit and vegetables can be difficult,” Lyndsey said.
“We didn’t want to just serve chips and bacon rolls. One of our biggest sellers is our salad bowl. This event was just an extension of what we already do.”
A vegan curry was served as part of the evening’s menu – photo: Maelo Manning
The café has already received a Bristol Eating Better Gold Award for its commitment to healthy, inclusive food, but Lyndsey and Glenn continue to push for more than recognition. They aim to demonstrate that healthy eating can begin with small changes and affordable steps.
To support this vision, they launched their Soup Sack scheme, a £6 bag of vegetables, grains and herbs designed to simplify healthy cooking.
“Over the years, when veg boxes came to the house, they would get lost in the fridge,” Lyndsey recalled.
“We didn’t know what to do with them. So we created something smaller, easier, something fresh and affordable. Whatever else is going on, you can just make vegetable soup.”
Guests at the event were given sample sacks ahead of time and invited to submit their own recipes. Some of these were printed on placemats as inspiration for others.
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The evening also featured health-focused speakers, including a fitness coach and a mental health practitioner, as part of Glenn and Lyndsey’s effort to promote holistic wellbeing and access to information around health.
Ped Asgarian, 42, director of Feeding Bristol, explained: “Power can be a very literal thing in terms of food, it nourishes us. But it’s also about control, oppression, who has access, and what good power around food looks like.”
“You can go from a very affluent ward to a deprived one within a few minutes in Bristol,” he continued.
“People don’t realise how many communities have had access to resources stripped away from them, whether that be information, education, or fresh produce.”
Notably, while neighbouring Westbury-on-Trym has a dedicated fruit and veg shop and several cafes offering healthy options, Southmead’s high street includes only a Tesco, an Aldi and a handful of take-away shops.
Café Des Amis showcased their soup sack initiative at the event – Photo: Maelo Manning
Initiatives like Café Des Amis seek to fill that gap, not only by offering nutritious meals but by creating a space for conversation and belonging.
As part of the event, attendees heard from Ben Burch, 46, cofounder of the Allegr Foundation.
One of the foundation’s initiatives, Walk+Talk, encourages people to take short walks in small groups to connect through movement and dialogue.
One of their first Walk+Talk outings began at Café Des Amis, he explains: “Because of the healthy food they serve and their sense of community, it just made sense.”
Stories shared on the night brought the impact home. One attendee told Lyndsey it was their first vegan meal ever. Another, who cares for his wife with late-stage dementia, said it was his first night out in three years.
“That’s what this is about,” Glenn said. “Not just food, but connection.”
Maelo Manning is reporting on Southmead as part of Bristol24/7’s Community Reporters programme, aiming to amplify marginalised voices and communities often overlooked by mainstream media. This initiative is funded by our public, Better Business members and a grant from The Nisbets Trust.
Main Photo: Maelo Manning
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