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Reflections on the privilege to take a stand against climate change Hello I’m Jess Thompson, the Founder of Migrateful. Migrateful runs cookery classes in London and Bristol led by refugee chefs struggling to integrate and access employment due to legal and linguistic barriers.  As a type one diabetic, I am subject to an annual eye scan. This summer, the results came back with evidence of eye damage. I was told that if I didn’t improve Read more…

We invite you to explore the lives of six Migrateful chefs, seeking refuge in Britain Migrateful exists to empower and celebrate refugees and vulnerable migrants on their journey to integration by supporting them to run their own cookery classes.  To mark Refugee Week some of our chefs would like to share their stories with you. These stories are at times not easy to read, some involving torture, shootings and emotional distress (trigger warning). They are tales of inspirational humans who have survived the unthinkable, showing incredible resilience and strength of character. In sharing their stories they give us Read more…

Elahe is delighted to have now taught the ‘mother cuisine’ to 600 adoring Londoners alongside her daughter Parastoo With 2500 years of saffron and rosewater scented history, Iranian cuisine has influenced cooking all over the globe – earning its reputation as the ‘mother cuisine’. Those who have attended Elahe and Parastoo’s cookery classes have reported them to be a “delicious, touching and magical experience”. This is no doubt due to the combination of exquisite flavours, Read more…

Ahmed was shot during the war in Lebanon and will now use a wheelchair for life. He shares with us why he will never give up. Ahmed asked me, “What are you most scared of?” It was not a question I had thought about before. Finally I replied ‘I’m scared of the people I love dying’. ‘Exactly’ Ahmed said “Me too. And when your greatest fear happens it changes everything. It puts everything into perspective. Read more…

Nigerian chef Elizabeth left behind a successful career in Nigeria to come to the UK to be with her sisters after her mother died. She found herself waiting for 8 years as an illegal immigrant unable to work or receive benefits “My name is Elizabeth and I am from Nigeria. I was lucky enough to be brought up in a middle class family who valued education. After graduating from my Psychology Master’s I got a Read more…

Majeda was imprisoned by the Syrian government for helping to feed people whose homes had been bombed in the war. She managed to escape Syria and now uses food to continue her activism in exile. I first met Majeda a few weeks after she had arrived in the UK in 2017. She had been working as a children’s therapist when the war broke out in Syria in 2011. She and her family had lived a happy Read more…

Habib escapes the Taliban, using food as his tool to survive in the Afghan army; in Calais refugee camp and now to thrive in the Big Smoke In 1984, Habib was born in Herat, Afghanistan’s third largest city. At the time, the Soviet Union was heavily bombing the city. He and his family escaped to Iran carrying all their belongings on donkeys. Habib grew up in Iran until 1989, when the Soviet Union withdrew its Read more…

Meet Jess Thompson: the social enterprise founder using food to support refugees by Hannah Mendelsohn written for Melting Pot Mag “Our society would not be as interesting without the influence of migrant cultures,” says Jess Thompson, 27. This is something she’s working to celebrate with the charity, Migrateful, that she set up in 2017. The organisation helps London-based refugees get on their feet through training them as chefs. They then teach classes on how to Read more…

Time to Life the Ban “I keep referring to myself as a prisoner… There are no bars and I don’t have the uniform to wear every day, but everything else is the same. Even prisoners – they have a passport, they have a place to call home when they get out” *This post contains distressing content* Dear the Home Office, I turned 35 in 2018. I was just a child when I arrived to this country, Read more…

Imagine. You live in a stranger’s home. They are kind to you, but you can never forget it is their good will alone that keeps you here. It’s better than the street. Some days you stay in bed until 2pm, because it’s not like you have anything else to do. You eat food bought by your host, you cook meals, clean and take the bins out – because it’s the only thing you have to Read more…