Charity

• StreetSmart 2024 have begun their winter campaign

  

  New figures have just reported a total of 4,780 rough sleepers in London, the highest it’s ever been. But the good news is that London foodies can play their part in changing this. Restaurant goers can support the homeless this winter by dining out at a restaurant taking part in StreetSmart and adding a £1 donation to your bill.

  Across London, restaurants are getting involved from

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• StreetSmart raises a whopping £1 million from restaurant diners

  

  Chefs, hospitality folk, press and influencers gathered in London on Monday evening to celebrate StreetSmart raising 1 million pounds from their most recent campaign.

  For the first time in its 25-year history, the campaign topped the £1 million mark with diners each contributing £1 per table during the Christmas period at 610 participating restaurants.

  Restaurants including Acme Fire

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• StreetSmart launch their annual campaign for diners and drinkers to support the homeless

  

  In a world full of bad news, the annual start of the StreetSmart campaign is a beacon of bright light and good intentions. The campaign, now in its 25th year, sees restaurants, pubs, bars and hotels across London working to encourage diners to help tackle homelessness by donating £1 per table.

  It runs throughout November and December and, to date, has raised more than £12 million towards funds to support the

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• StreetSmart launch their festive campaign with restaurants and diners supporting the homeless

  

  It must be nearly Christmas as StreetSmart’s annual campaign has just kicked off across the UK, bringing nearly 550 restaurants together to raise money for people suffering homelessness, with a simple £1 on the bill during November and December.

  Barrafina, Ottolenghi, St John, as well as the restaurants within Harvey Nichols, Selfridges along with the D&D London, JKS and MEATliquor restaurant

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• StreetSmart donates £696,000 to homeless charities from restaurant bills

  

  Dining out in London, we feel pretty sure that you would have come across StreetSmart at some point - it's the charity that helps to raise funds for the homeless. They partner with another charity LandAid, the property industry charity working to end youth homelessness in the UK. 

  You'll most likely have seen that some restaurants have been asking customers to donate £1 from their bookings to the charity and it looks like

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• Bake for Ukraine charity cake sale brings in the big bakers

  

  We're always happy when doing good tastes good, and next weekend's bake sale in aid of Ukraine definitely sounds as though it'll achieve both those aims.

  The event, dreamt up by Toklas Bakery and Instagrammer Clerkenwell Boy, sees some of London's best known restaurants and bakeries taking part. The impressive line-up includes BAO, Flor Bakery, Meringue Girls, Ottolenghi, Violet Bakes and more.

  While

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• How London's restaurants are supporting Ukraine

   

  London restaurants are doing their bit to support those affected by the current invasion of Ukraine with a load of special events, dishes and menus. If you're looking to head to a restaurant that is helping raise funds for the relief effort - we'll have the details here. 

  Launched by Ukrainian food writer Olia Hercules, Alissa Timoshkina and Clerkenwell

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• StreetSmart launch their winter campaign to help London's homeless with Brutto, St John, Alain Ducasse and more

  

  Every year the laudable charity StreetSmart helps raise funds for our city's homeless in the run-up to Christmas. It's really a no-brainer. Instead of feeling guilty about splurging on your festive fun, you know that you're raising money to help get people off the streets at the worst time of the year.

  Last year, of course, things didn't pan out as planned and the charity suffered a 60% drop in

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• Love Food Give Food campaign kicks off in London's restaurants

  

  Some of London's top restaurants are hoping that you'll help them raise funds for Action Against Hunger this autumn. They've signed up for the charity's Love Food Give Food campaign which runs throughout September and October. The idea is that restaurant goers add an extra £1 on to the bill which goes direct to support communities in the UK and across the world who are facing life-threatening hunger.

  Among

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• Grey Goose are selling a charity martini kit involving The Connaught Bar

  

  As any long-time readers of Hot Dinners will know, we are rather partial to a good vodka martini. So it's fair to say that when we heard that a charity martini kit involving the World's Best Bar, The Connaught Bar, was launching we were very much interested. Drinking (sensibly of course) and raising

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• London Bakers Against Racism are back with a new spring bake sale

  

  Updated 12/3/21 with link to sale

  Who doesn't love baked goods that also do good? London Bakers against Racism are gearing up to hold their biggest virtual bake sale yet at the end of March. They'll be raising money for The Black Curriculum - a social enterprise set up to address the lack of Black British history in school curriculums.

  As before, bakers and cafes who are taking part donate

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• Curry Club are bringing chefs together to cook for London's vulnerable

  

  This is a lovely idea, guaranteed to warm the cockles of even the most frozen heart. A whole bunch of restaurant and food folk are coming together to cook food for vulnerable Londoners.

  Curry Club was set up by Matt from Holloway shop Provisions along with Lizzie Parle and her team from Railroad in Hackney. They've brought together some impressive names who are aiming to send out 2000 free meals. Chefs

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• MEATliquor head to North Finchley for a lockdown drive-through popup

  

  Updated 26/2/21

  What's a pub to do when it a) can't open and b) isn't allowed to sell its beer for takeaway? Well, one North London pub has hit upon the answer. They're going to do a big charity beer giveaway and they've teamed up with MEATliquor to help them do just that.

  Ten years after MEATliquor blew the doors off the London burger scene with their van in New Cross, they're returning to the pop-up

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• The Duke Bakery at this Islington organic pub is raising funds for StreetSmart

  

  If the onslaught of emosh Christmas ads has already got you sobbing into your laptop, then this story from a London pub may push you over the top.

  The Duke of Cambridge organic pub in Islington is today launching an initiative to help StreetSmart - the UK charity for the homeless that normally gets its money from a donation added onto restaurant bills and whose funds have been decimated by the lockdown.

  The

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• From Beder's Kitchen features recipes from Gordon Ramsay, Ottolenghi and more

  

  It's the time of year when we start to hear about all the exciting recipe books that are coming out in time for Christmas. But one in particular, From Beder's Kitchen, stands out so far.

  It's a charity cookbook which has gathered together what sounds like a superb collection of recipes from people in the food world. Those who've taken part include a veritable who's who of restaurant folk like Gordon

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