Newcastle’s Magic Hat Café will host its first evening dinner service on Saturday November 18, with a second event already lined up for December 23.
Magic Hat has won a reputation for high-end food created using surplus, donated ingredients that would otherwise have been wasted. The many course menus for the events will be paired with a no or low alcohol home-brewed drinks. We’re told the team will continue to perfect the menu right up until the day of the events, though dietary requirements can be catered for.
To book a place (£50pp) visit www.themagichatcafe.co.uk
The café, which opened on Higham Place in 2021, is home to a menu which changes daily as ingredients, collected and donated from venues and food stores across the North East, are harnessed by the Magic Hat chef and volunteer kitchen team to create vibrant and nutritious dishes. Each daily menu includes 6-8 dishes that are priced on a sliding scale according to how plentiful the ingredients are, and the skill needed to produce the dish. Dishes start at £4 and include vegetarian, vegan, meat/fish, and gluten-free options.
“At Magic Hat, we collect and use surplus ingredients that would otherwise have been wasted, to make meals and drinks for the community,” said co-founder Jess Miller. “Since we have no control over our supply, inevitably there are only limited amounts of some options, while others are plentiful. Equally, some dishes involve high levels of skill and lots of time to perfect, while others stay very close to the ingredients’ pure form. That is how we determine a dish’s price. Whether you choose an abundant dish and pay the lowest price on the menu, or one that is more scarce and time-consuming at a higher price, you’ll be helping us to achieve our true purpose in equal measures.
“Our true purpose is to do as much as we possibly can to reduce the world’s food waste – to zero. We want to create affordable, high-quality food as we simply believe to tackle food waste we need to be able to engage everyone, across sectors and across communities.”
Alongside the food, the coffee shop and licensed bar serves Sunderland-based sustainable coffee brand RESINN, twobytwobeers, wines and cocktails as well as a soft drinks menu made entirely in-house from surplus ingredients including fruity ice teas, ferments, fresh juices and homemade cordials – with no cans, bottles or plastics.
Alongside the kitchen, the team operates a weekly hamper delivery scheme, a pay-as-you-feel shop, an events program, and a free-to-hire meeting space for chosen groups each month. The space also acts as a redistribution hub where the team of 15 staff, and an army of 60 regular volunteers, ensure the 1.5-2 tonnes of food waste collected each week is used effectively.
The Magic Hat Café is open Thursday-Sunday 10am-4pm for brunch and lunch. For more information visit www.themagichatcafe.co.uk and www.projectbind.com
