Bristol chef gets MBE for feeding thousands for free in pandemic

Mr Haughton was awarded Food Hero of the year in 2016 by BBC Radio 4

A man who helped to make 26,000 meals for local families during lockdown has been awarded an MBE for his efforts.

Bristol cookery teacher Barny Haughton started the Square Meals Service in Knowle West to help people have access to healthy food during the pandemic.

He was due to receive the award for his work last year but Covid rules meant the proceedings had to be cancelled.

Mr Haughton was invited to receive his award this week from Prince William.

The project has been tackling food poverty in the city

Mr Haughton has spent the last three decades campaigning for food education to be recognised for the role it can play in transforming the health of people and the planet.

But he was aware that people on benefits or from lower economic backgrounds could not always afford to take part.

"There is a huge lack of knowledge in society generally so it felt like a good start to focus on food education," he told BBC Radio Bristol.

As a result, his cookery school in south Bristol, The Square Food Foundation, was set up to tackle food poverty and teach cooking skills to children and families in need.

During the pandemic, volunteers from the project helped to prepare free meals that were given to families who would normally receive free school meals.

Mr Haughton has been educating people in food and how to make healthy meals

Mr Haughton said he hopes to help educate families in the city to give them the skills to make better food choices that do not cost too much.

He also believes the food debate is central to climate change.

"Something isn't right in our food system. We need to fix it.

"In some areas of big cities you've got what we call food deserts, we have food banks that are meeting the food poverty crisis, but that's only a sticking plaster.

"What we really need is basic life skills, that's the key.

"Being able to cook decent food from scratch is a gateway into a better understanding of the world we live in."

Square Food Foundation is currently focused on its campaign 'more than a meal', aiming to raise £20,000 to mark the organisation's 10th anniversary.