Refill cafe in Fairfax Street, York - using up food waste

Refill is located in Fairfax Street, Bishophill - midway between the popular Bishy Road area and York city centre - but is like no other cafe in York.

Run mostly by volunteers, Refill's main purpose is to use up local food that would otherwise be destined for the bin.

Volunteers collect 'food surplus' - often short-dated items - from local shops as well as allotments and either turn it into items to put on the menu of the vegetarian cafe, or on the outdoor shelves of the 'Community Fridge' where people can help themselves to surplus fresh, boxed and tinned items for free or a small donation.

Food items available in the 'Community Fridge' at Refill

Customers pay for food and drink bought inside the cafe - and the money is ploughed back into the project.

Beverley Hadfield, managing director of Refill, told The Press: "Our menu is set by gluts - there are always gluts of potatoes, bread and bananas. So we are a house of toast! It's bread, bread, bread - in any combination!"

Toasties loom large on the menu, but with interesting fillings. "I make a samosa toastie, which is two pieces of bread stuffed with a samosa filling, so potatoes with all the spices, cumin and mustard seeds. It comes with home-made mango chutney."

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Beverley also makes the four bean chilli toastie made with donated cans of beans. There is also the breakfast toastie featuring egg, mushroom and baked beans.

A favourite lunch is Heinz tomato soup with buttered toast made with sourdough bread.

Volunteer Deborah New is in charge of baking, again using up donated produce. During our visit, we watched as her spiced apple cake sold out. Kyveli Lignou-Tsamantani also works at the cafe which displays art works by local artists. The space is also available for hire to community groups.

Treats on the counter at Refill

Coffee is from local company Dancing Goat and at £2.50 for a flat white, Beverley reckons it is the cheapest flat white in town. It costs £2.30 if people bring their own cup.

Refill opened in 2021 and spawned from sister project, Planet Food, run by Beverley at Southlands Church, off Bishopthorpe Road. Planet Food runs a cafe and food store using surplus food every Thursday.

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Beverley said the main purpose of the projects was to stop food waste. "We are here to showcase that a lot of food we throw out can be reused."

The 'Community Fridge' at Refill is one of 300 in the UK, but the first in York.

People are welcome to drop off food that would otherwise go to waste as long as it is unopened and still good quality.

To volunteer with food collection, contact the Refill team at: contact@refillkitchen.org.

The cafe is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.30am-3pm and on Saturdays from 10am- 3.30pm.