Our Journey

What started as a small idea

For our founder, Sunny, it all began when he had the idea to turn his mum & dad's garden into an edible green oasis just 2 days before this picture was taken. 

A walk around the block

After laying the foundations for his mum & dad's garden, and realising that he wanted to do more, Sunny went for a walk and conveniently stumbled across this poster on the gate of the Wolves Lane Horticultural Centre: a place where his Nan used to take him when he was a kid.

More than a volunteer

After officially becoming a volunteer at Wolves Lane, Sunny was presented with a dream opportunity to grow food in a disused greenhouse and started on the journey of turning it from concrete grey to edible green. 

Back at home

Things had really started to take shape from when Sunny first started his mum & dad's garden: nearly all the structures he had planned to complete being done, and only seedlings still needed to be propagated. Luckily he had his work cut out for him at the greenhouse!

Community starting to form

With Sunny working 7 days a week at Wolves Lane with a few friends and his partner Jeyda fully committed to the greenhouse vision too, everything started to move quite fast. With the added impetus of people's support - especially with Sunny making friends with other people there and helping them to restore other parts of the site - community spirit, was starting to blossom. 

Better space, better opportunities 

With the climate in the greenhouse proving more favourable for the propagation of seeds Sunny had started back at home, they were able to get ahead of the growing season. And with all the extra new space, Sunny was able to think big!

Donations starting to appear

Thanks to a generous donation from the management team at Travis Perkins, Edible London received their first donation of much-needed soil and timber, and the greenhouse restoration process was really starting to take off.

Seeds being sown, memories being grown

With much-needed donations received, propagated plants from Sunny's home had been planted out, sands beds installed and seedlings put out on the greenhouse staging. Every day, friendships were being built and priceless memories were being made.

Even more donations

Thanks to co-founder Chris Gorgay, who at the time worked at B&M, a connection was made with the management team and they too started sending donations to the project.

Beyond the greenhouse

With things coming along really nicely inside the greenhouse, the outside area behind it had also been transformed. And thanks to some serious "thinking outside of the box" it was all done for free and all with no significant landscaping.

A special moment

After a long day of greenhouse restoration, it was a special moment for Sunny to sit back and have a nature session in his mum & dad's garden: the project that had led to everything else was happening.

Even more good will 

After making a connection with Build it, another local builders' merchant, Sunny came away with a whopping £1,500 worth of materials - and it was not only donated but delivered for free on the very same day.

The birth of Edible London

With multiple parts of the Wolves Lane site restored - and a core group of people who had already eaten many meals, sowed many seeds, and shared many memories - the idea of a community group called Edible London was born!

First official volunteer day

With seeds needing to be sown, plants to be planted, watering and cleaning to be done, and plans for the first vegetables to be traded put into motion, the first volunteer session was a success. 

Everything in motion

People, time, vision, and one individual's idea to start growing in his mum & dad's garden had led to a transformation of people and land. From that inspiration until now, the garden at home - along with the greenhouse, greenhouse garden, revamped polytunnel, landscaped pathways, and the community that had been created, were all flourishing. Food was growing and magic was happening!

Did somebody say social media

On this day, the @edible_londonUK social media channel was made and our first post was put out. Feel free to give us a follow 😉

Food Not Bombs

Edible London is all about working with local groups, charities and individuals to help improve the world that we live in. This date is in recognition of our partnership with Food Not Bombs who, at the time, gave out food on the 1st and 3rd Saturday every month outside Seven Sisters Station. 

Feast With Us

Event with Feast With Us feeding vulnerable women housed at the amazing Bethany House project.

Oh My Gourd

The day we harvested our huge gourd/kedo/dooley/Jamaican green. To this day we are still yet to know what this variety of marrow is officially called but, as you can tell from the picture, it certainly loved growing in our greenhouse. 

1,000 meal milestone

Another successful volunteer day: tomatoes were trained (yes, we still had tomatoes in action at this time of the year!), radish, beans and kale were planted, glass was cleaned, and fantastic food was eaten.

We also raised a large proportion of the £200 needed to help insulate our greenhouse over the winter and we reached the first milestone of giving out 1,000 meals in the space of just 6 months. 

Hosted first corporate volunteering day

We welcomed a team from Danone UK who weren’t shy to get their fingers deep and green!

Edible London CIC was incorporated

The official beginning: with Sunny, Jeyda, Ashley & Lynda.

1st volunteer session of the year

A great day, and a great turn out, making lots of space in the greenhouse in preparation for spring and the upcoming growing season.

1st March 2019

First surplus collection, first delivery.

A Lidl branch in Walthamstow gave so the amazing Bruce Grove Youth Space (supporting young people aged 10-19 with special educational needs) could receive.

To the mums of the world

Our first mum-focused community volunteer day held in conjunction with the amazing Peoples Kitchen.

A day full of stories, healing, love, laughter and even tears was a special day to remember. 

Welcome Christopher Gorgay 

The amazing Christopher Gorgay becomes an official director at Edible London

In memory of Tanesha Melbourne-Blake

Helping to rejuvenate the Bruce Grove Youth Space - both inside and out - in memory of the amazing Tanesha Melbourne-Blake: a volunteer at the centre who was tragically murdered after a random attack in the area. 

Masjid Ramadan

First donation from the Shacklewell Lane Masjid Ramadan mosque in Hackney offering to pay for insurance so we can continue to run our volunteer sessions with peace of mind.

The Highway House Shelter

Again thanks to surplus from Walthamstow Lidl, we were able to bring The Highway House Shelter 8 trays of much-needed surplus groceries and supplies.

The Highway House Centre helps those who have fallen on difficult times and need a helping hand including some of the most disenfranchised in our communities and with no access to public funds.

3 Tonnes of Soil

Huge thanks to Selco Builders Warehouse in Tottenham for this huge donation to help kick-start the beginning of the Summer growing season.  

Harmony Gardens

New growing project at Harmony Gardens - next to the Broadwater Farm Estate in Tottenham - to bring 20 beds back to life in time for the summer. 

Friendship bonds were made, new skills were learned, and knowledge and understanding of the local community was broadened. 

Red Cross Volunteer Session

First volunteer session hosting 8 men being looked after by the British Red Cross in their Hackney destitution centre for those seeking asylum.

The aim of the session being to help integrate marginalised individuals into society and bring them some solace by providing roots into a local community where they feel safe and  valued whilst also helping to improve their mental health.

Festival of Learning

As part of Haringey Council's 'Festival of Learning', we held two free workshops: one on how to make aloe vera gel and another on urban foraging.

Harmony Gardens Community Celebration

A beautiful day of celebration with kids activities, amazing vegan Caribbean food,  workshops, live music, capoeira, along with beautiful African and Jamaican inspired art, crafts  and clothes up for sale.

CISV International Activity Day

An awe-inspiring and uplifting day hosting 36 amazing youngsters from Children's International Summer Vilages for an action packed day of exciting adventures into the wonderful world of urban farming. 

CISV are an international charity that bring together young participants from around the world to develop their full potential as future leaders and active citizens.

We learnt about harvesting veg, planting up and sowing seeds, cooking, building bug hotels, natural drink making and much much more.

Stamford Hill Rooftop Project

Thanks to Fresh & Fruity, a family run business in Stamford Hill, we launched our first rooftop project with a combination of edible flowers, fruit, veg, and other attraction plants for our bees and ladybirds.

Our green-fingered heroes transformed a steel & concrete industrial rooftop into a lush and unique growing space.

Wretched of the Earth

Our first session hosting community activist group Wretched of the Earth' at Wolves Lane creating space for over 100 people to help build community amongst individuals and groups committed to climate justice, and deliver workshops.

WOTE is a grassroots collective for indigenous, black, brown and diaspora groups and individuals demanding climate justice and acting in solidarity with our communities both here in the UK and in the global South.

Blue House Yard Market

As part of 'Zero Waste Week' we joined the #zerowaste market at Blue House Yard selling our fresh produce, alongside street foods, art & crafts and refill stalls.  

Eden Project Adventures

Our founder, Sunny, was invited to Eden Project for their Community Camp event full of workshops, learning, networking, and building once in lifetime connections.

Think Forward Event

A beautiful day hosting 17 amazing young future leaders from East London in our growing space at Wolves Lane.

ThinkForward is a powerhouse of an organisation providing long-term personalised coaching to young people in schools with the highest risks of unemployment to enable them to transition into sustained work. 

Yasar Halim

Another amazing connection made with Yasar Halim supermarkets who have decided to provide us with surplus products that cannot be sold but wanted to make sure that it did not go to waste. 

It may not be fit for sale but it is certainly still fit to eat! 

Welcome Christopher Steele-Kendrick

The amazing Christopher Steele-Kendrick becomes an official director at Edible London.

Tottenham Green Market

Our first appearance at Tottenham Green Market selling our beautiful grown fruits, veggies, sauces and jam to help support our work, alongside with free to take produce from our surplus wagon.

Thank You Ashley Lydiate

On this day we said a warm goodbye to the amazing Ashley Lydiate as he resigns from his post as a director of Edible London. 

Highway House Cook Off

Our first community run cook off where 130+ meals were given out to free to homeless people through our connection with The Highway House Shelter, along with care packs containing all the essentials to help those sleeping rough. 

Thank You Jeyda Mevlit

On this day we said a warm goodbye to the amazing Jeyda Mevlit as she resigns from her post as a director of Edible London. 

High Cross Edible Estate

We started work on another growing site at the High Cross Centre, an industrial estate in N15.

COVID-19 Emergency Food Operation kicks off

In partnership with Haringey Council, we took lead on putting together fresh fruit & vegetable hampers (from our pop up distribution hub at Wolves Lane)  to be given to those most vulnerable in our community.

Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium 

Just 5 days into our Covid-19 Emergency Food Operation in partnership with Haringey Council we moved our pop up distribution hub from Wolves Lane to Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium, and our volunteer network had grown from 60 to 400 in the space of a week!

Alexandra Palace

After a few weeks operating out of Tottenham Hostpurs stadium we scaled up again hitting a peak of distributing over 50,000 meals worth of ingredients for those most affected by food poverty in just one single week.

Thank You Lynda Adams 

On this day we said a warm goodbye to the amazing Lynda Adams as she resigns from her post as a director of Edible London. 

Welcome Victoria Ruiz Verdesoto 

The amazing Victoria Ruiz Verdesota becomes an official director at Edible London. 

Tammy Edwards

The amazing Tammy Edwards also becomes an official director at Edible London. 

Kaotic Angels (LEMC) UK Nomads 

We teamed up with the amazing Kaotic Angels providing direct outreach support to those sleeping rough on the streets.

1st Crowdfunder launched

On this day we launched our first ever Crowdfunder to help provide us with the vital next step support in continuing our work after our partnership with Haringey Council comes to an end.

Stamford Hill Hub opens

As the COVID-19 emergency food operation came to an end and we left Alexandra Palace and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, we were temporarily housed in Stamford Hill thanks to the generosity of our partners at Fresh’n’Fruity vegetable wholesalers.

1st Crowdfunder Completed

In 61 days, with the help of 456 supporters, we’ve raised £51,353 to help us sustain and scale up our operation. Big love to all those that supported!

We are Haringey Heroes!

Edible London and founder Soner Karagozlu received the Mayor of Haringey’s ‘Haringey Hero Award’ for their incredible efforts to make a difference in the community during the coronavirus pandemic.

Sow a Seed!

After providing a ton of cantaloupe melons, Earth Ale has brewed a bright, light and refreshingly tart, with a melon sherbet finish beer. It is called "Sow a Seed". 

We celebrated this beer on a Saturday at Blue House Yard with all the crew.

Flower project Kick-off

A donated glasshouse is brought to Harmony Gardens where Chen will be growing flowers for pollinators.

1 Million Milestone

Together, in only 8 months, we’ve saved and distributed ingredients to make up a million free meals. This is nothing short of a miracle, but the journey towards eradicating food poverty in our communities has just begun.

On to the 2nd million!

Launched our 2nd crowdfunder to get the 2 million mark even faster!

Food Bank of the Year 2020

The Community Impact Awards 2020 - organised by The Bridge Renewal Trust, in partnership with The London Borough of Haringey - has recognised our community service to improve the lives of Haringey residents.