Let’s open a Migrateful Cookery School in Bristol!

Aim: We’re fundraising to fit out a cookery school in Bristol, creating a home for Migrateful to support refugees and bring communities together

We are crowdfunding to open a Migrateful cookery school in Bristol. The new school will allow Migrateful chefs facing barriers to employment to teach public cookery classes, offering more opportunities for training and paid work.

Our story

Migrateful is an award-winning charity which supports refugees and migrants on their journey to employment and independence and promotes integration. 

The Migrateful idea was borne following discussions with a group of refugee women at a skill exchange  project . The women in the group were all very qualified, yet were unemployed because of language barriers and their qualifications were not recognised in the UK. 

When asked about the skills they could share with the group, many of them said they could cook. This gave our founder Jess the idea to launch Migrateful in July 2017; with the aim to get these women into employment by supporting them to share their incredible cooking skills with the world.

What we do 

We offer cookery classes where migrant chefs share their cuisine, culture and stories with the general public. The classes not only offer the opportunity to learn how to cook delicious food but also help to reframe how newly arrived migrants are perceived and shift the narrative on migration.

Our “chefs” are referred to us because they are struggling to integrate into UK society. Many are still processing trauma after becoming victims of modern-day slavery, gender-based violence or fleeing war-torn countries. 

Our two-year programme builds chefs’ confidence, English language, and employability skills and improves overall well-being. The programme starts with a 12-week foundational training, after that they start to teach their cuisines to the public whilst continuing to receive training and support from our team throughout. 

Since 2017, the amazing Migrateful chefs—representing 48 different nationalities—have taught over 5,000 cookery classes, attended by more than 50,000 members of the public..

How this project supports financial wellbeing

Finding work can be extremely difficult for many migrants due to language barriers and overseas qualifications not being recognised. In the UK, refugees are four times more likely to be unemployed than British-born individuals. This makes financial resilience a major challenge for the people we support.

Migrateful’s programme helps build financial wellbeing by offering paid work, training, and a pathway into employment. Our chefs are paid to teach cookery classes, giving them a vital income stream during a time of uncertainty and rising living costs. Many go on to start their own food businesses or secure long-term employment in the hospitality sector.

For those who are legally barred from working while seeking asylum, we’ve established a Solidarity Fund that provides small emergency grants to help cover food, transport or other basic needs.

Why we need your help

Bristol has been part of the Migrateful journey from the very beginning. Our founder Jess grew up here, and our very first cookery class took place on Whiteladies Road in 2017. Since then, we’ve grown significantly in London, while steadily building our presence in Bristol—supporting 17 incredible refugee and migrant chefs to deliver nearly 300 classes to more than 3,000 people.

Thanks to the amazing support of the Bristol community, demand for our classes has outgrown our current setup using pop-up venues. It’s time to take the next step: opening a dedicated Migrateful Cookery School right here in Bristol.

In August 2024, Bristol saw a rise in violence targeting asylum seekers and minority communities during the summer riots. It was a painful time for our chefs and wider community. But it also galvanised a movement—one that Migrateful is proud to be part of—to make Bristol a truly welcoming city for all.

Our new cookery school, based at the much-loved Windmill Hill City Farm, will provide paid opportunities for refugee chefs and a space for Bristolians to connect through the joy of cooking and eating together. We're thrilled to once again be working with the brilliant team at AHMM, the architects firm behind our beloved London cookery school, as well as the wonderful design teams of Hoare Lea and Savills, who are all generously offering their time to us for free.

Now, we need your support to fit out the space and bring this vision to life. With your help, we’ll open the doors this autumn—creating a new home for our Bristol Migrateful family, and a powerful symbol of hope and belonging.

How this Crowdfunder works

You have the chance to help us achieve our goal of opening a new cookery school—and receive a reward in return, such as a voucher to use once we open in the autumn.

Thanks to the Aviva Community Fund, every pound you give will be match-funded (up to £250). So when you So when you pledge in exchange for a reward, we receive the same amount again as a donation—everyone wins!

Prefer to simply donate to help us reach our goal? That’s brilliant too. Donations are also match-funded by Aviva. 

Take a look at the full list of rewards below, and thank you so much for being part of this exciting journey. We can’t wait to welcome you to our new cookery school!

Rewards

PLEASE NOTE: You must select a reward when inputting your donation. Rewards will be sent out every Friday.

£10+ — A Migrateful Recipe Collection [Digital PDF]

Embark on a Migrateful journey from the comfort of your own kitchen: Pledge £10 to receive a digital booklet packed with delicious vegetarian and vegan recipes from around the world.

£45 —Bristol Cookery Class Voucher

Get a voucher for a Migrateful cookery class in Bristol which you can use to attend one of our first cookery classes in our new space when it opens in the autumn! (or at one of our pop-up venues in Bristol before then). 

£60 — London Cookery Class Voucher [cookery school venue]

Top Up Your Tastecard by donating! Get a voucher for a Migrateful cookery class at our London cookery school in Farringdon. Your ticket to an evening of hands-on cooking, new flavours, and stories that go way beyond your usual commute.

£180 — The Ultimate ‘Around the World’ Cooking Pass (Bristol classes)

Explore delicious flavours and recipes from across the globe -  this pass gives you access to four Migrateful classes in Bristol.

£200 — The Ultimate ‘Around the World’ Cooking Pass (London classes)

Explore delicious flavours and recipes from across the globe.  This pass can be used at four Migrateful pop-up cookery classes, or can go towards the cost of four cookery school classes in London.

£1,000 or more – Team-Building Cookery Class for 12 People in Bristol

 Enjoy a hands-on, three-hour cookery class for your team, working together to prepare a full feast while supporting our inspiring Migrateful chefs. This can take place at one of our pop-up venues in Easton or Bedminster, or in our very own cookery school once it opens this Autumn!

THANK YOU!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 14th July 2025 at 10:42am