Karen Mattison, back middle, with volunteers

EVERY Thursday morning, Islington and Camden residents visit the “people’s supermarket” in Priory Green Estate to stock their cupboards with affordable groceries.

They come for the heavily discounted food, but they stay for the socialising and communal spirit.

Inside a previously disused unit on the estate, The Pantry members can buy days’ worth of shopping for just £3.50, and once they’ve finished shopping, relax on sofas and enjoy tea, pastries and homemade soup.

Co-founder Karen Mattison, who set up Cook For Good with Robin Collie a year ago, explained how members can choose 10 items, which include things like a sack of potatoes or a big bag of pasta.

“So you can probably do about £20 to £30 worth of shopping for £3.50,” Ms Mattison told the Tribune.

They aimed to have 100 members in the first year, but now have 271 people registered and many more on the waiting list.

The demand for their service is for “all the obvious reasons”, Ms Mattison said. “The cost of living, but also social isolation.

Sometimes when people visit The Pantry it’s the only time people get out in the week.” And the results have been profound.

“Residents have told me they now say hello to other people on the estate they previously didn’t say hi to.”

Sheenika Webb-Rainsby, who lives in King’s Cross, has been coming to The Pantry every week for the past four months. As well as saving a “ton” of money, she said her favourite thing about the project is the “the sense of community”.

“I’ve lived in the same place now for over 30 years. Nowadays you don’t even know who your next door neighbours are. When you come here everyone talks to you. My son Matthew gets cuddles from everyone,” she said.

The sustainable model is funded by different avenues. Peabody Housing who run the estate let Cook For Good use two spaces – for the Pantry and and a kitchen that was previously a disused cafe – on a rent free and utility free basis, as long as they continue providing a social service.

Corporates have helped too. Meta built the a community kitchen and Ninja stocked it with equipment. Companies come in for team-building sessions in the kitchen, where they receive cooking lessons and cook meals that are delivered to local food banks and shelters. This helps fund The Pantry.

Ashley Richardson, local area plan manager at Peabody, said: “I think what really solidifies this project is its sustainability. [Cook For Good] is able to raise the funding to maintain the community programmes and then we can step back and allow them to really immerse themselves within the community.”