Surplus food destined for landfill turned into nutritious meals at our Medieval Banquet 

Northern College, South Yorkshire, has partnered with Surplus to Purpose and Thomas Franks to help drive forward the food waste revolution by feeding bellies and not bins.  

The College is hosting a medieval banquet on 4 March 2022 designed to prevent edible nutritious food waste from being thrown away to turn it into a delicious meal instead. This marks the start of an exciting new partnership and is the first of a series of events.  

Future events are open to the wider public. They will run on the evening of 20 May and 15 July 2022. Tickets are available now and expected to sell out quickly.  Book your place here.

The nutritious food at the event will be cooked by guest chef Adam Smith (pictured), CEO of Surplus to Purpose and founder of the award-winning global phenomenon The Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP).  

Surplus to Purpose aims to revolutionise the disposal of millions of tonnes of avoidable food waste. It distributes perfectly edible food that would otherwise not make it to the plate to individuals, cafes, schools and community groups.  

This banquet will also help raise awareness of how edible surplus food destined for landfill can be made into nutritious meals. 

Adam with be joined by Frank Bothwell, Founder of international catering company Thomas Franks. The catering company works with Adam Smith to turn surplus food into meals to feed communities.  

Northern College supports individuals aged 19 and over to re-enter education to progress, get a new job or change careers. Set in acres of stunning National Trust gardens, it is the ideal spot for people to concentrate on their studies and change their lives through adult education. 

Northern College Principal and Chief Executive, Yultan Mellor, says: 

“When we first met with Adam from Surplus to Purpose, he liked the ethos and diversity of Northern College, and the impact it has on individuals who come to study with us and transform their lives. Through our unique partnership we are delighted to host this event.  

“Adam’s ethos around sustainability, supporting those in need and repurposing food is very aligned to our values. As a college, we are strongly focused on sustainability and how we can work together to support the environment. Many of our adult students also get involved in charitable activities whilst studying with us.” 

Adam Smith, CEO of Surplus to Purpose, says: “The key to sustainable and systematic change within the food sector is entirely dependent on collaboration. Surplus To Purpose was born out of collaboration with Thomas Franks. Now, both organisations are collaborating further with The Northern College to bring a one-of-a-kind event with sustainability at its heart.  

“A surplus banquet is to be created entirely from surplus ingredients. With the support and dedication from Thomas Franks, Surplus To Purpose will expose global environmental issues surrounding food, whilst educating and empowering diners to make an impact. It’s an honour to work alongside Frank and his team, and a proud moment to cater at Northern College for their inaugural sustainability event. A huge opportunity to Feed Bellies Not Bins and to SToP Wasting Food!” 

Frank Bothwell, Founder of Thomas Franks, says: “Thomas Franks has a long-respected association with Adam Smith. We met up last year and decided to co found a new 100 per cent not for profit CIC and simply call it what it is, Surplus to Purpose. Its simple aim is to feed bellies not bins. However, it’s future is to harness intercepted surplus food and ensure it reaches those with little or nothing. It was easy to form this initiative with Adam as its new CEO, as not only do we both share the same values, but my own company Thomas Franks, is committed to a more sustainable way of dealing with food waste. Key areas for our growth will be to ensure our feeding communities initiatives (which has delivered over 1.1 million meals to date since the pandemic began), utilises Surplus to Purpose food to make future healthy food aid.  

Book onto our future banquets on 20 May and 15 July.