Four brilliant for-good food enterprises. One big mission. Get more Oxfordshire organisations using the OX4 Food Crew for their catering.

Delicious food, reduced food waste and great community impact – there’s literally nothing not to love about Oxfordshire’s OX4 Food Crew. Our only regret is not knowing about them sooner.

Sandra, founder of Waste2Taste, using surplus courgettes in her lunch menu

When Good Food Oxfordshire reached out to ask if we could make a video as part of a Community Wealth Building project they were running with some members of the OX4 Food Crew, we were super keen to pitch for the job. On our doorstep here in Oxford, the OX4 Food Crew is a partnership of small grassroots organisations collectively responding to the growing crisis of food insecurity in the OX4 area of the city (where we both work and live). The problem? They need more Oxfordshire colleges, institutions and businesses to choose to use their services in order to grow their impact.

The brief was for one short film to showcase five social enterprises, sharing their impact story, promoting their services and helping them scale up as a collective. We’re always ambitious at Stone Barrell – so on top of the main course, we offered to create some tasty starters and desserts. Our final pitch menu was for:

  • Starters: mini social media sizzles for the OX4 Food Crew and the individual enterprises, promoting their delectable ventures
  • Main course: a filling five-minute video, featuring five members of the OX4 Food Crew and promoting their services as a comprehensive, local, ethical and for-good catering option
  • Desserts: one-minute versions of the main video for each organisation featured, so they have their own social media/web assets
  • After-dinner treat: we were able to work some magic and offer this whole package within the original budget 
‍The main video has been nominated for this year’s Smiley Charity Film Awards. Please give it a VOTE to help get it shortlisted so more people hear about the OX4 Food Crew!
The OX4 Food Crew outside Flo's, a Place in the Park
Two women laughing and eating No Vice Ice Lollies at Flo's Cafe
Katy and Katie from No Vice Ice, holding up their ethical lollies in Florence Park
Hassan, Founder at OCA Kitchen
Jake from Stone Barrell with his camera outside Flo's sign
Waste2Taste cafe

When it came to the filming, one of the enterprises wasn’t able to be involved, but we still managed to have 2.5 jam-packed days filming with:

  1. Waste2Taste: creating delicious vegan and vegetarian food using only surplus ingredients, with profits feeding and supporting the local community
  2. Flo's: a community-owned hub and cafe helping local people, reducing inequalities and supporting the environment
  3. OCA Kitchen: providing international food, supporting emerging chefs, and using profits to feed people in need in the community
  4. No Vice Ice: supporting people living with long term invisible health conditions through the production of ice lollies made from locally sourced surplus food
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It probably goes without saying that in addition to interviewing, photographing and filming, we sampled food from each and every organisation (buddha bowls, cake, coffee (flat white), curry, iced latte lolly…) – quality control is important people – and we can confirm it’s all:

✔️ Delicious (I’m not sure I’ve ever tasted hummus that good)

✔️ Ethical (food destined for the bin but whipped into truly glorious shape by Waste2Taste and No Vice Ice)

✔️ Affordable (as well as their very fairly priced menus, Flo’s, Waste2Taste and OCA Kitchen offer free or pay as you feel lunches on certain days of the week)

Watch the full video at the top of this blog and check out some of the mini videos and sizzles over on our YouTube page. Oh, and if you happen to be hosting an event in Oxfordshire, please do think about using the OX4 Food Crew for your savoury and sweet catering. Between them they’ve got it all – hosting space, starters, mains and desserts. Visit www.ox4foodcrew.co.uk/catering to find out more. 

We’ve had some lovely feedback from the OX4 Food Crew that sums up the overwhelmingly positive response to the video:

✨ "We are so delighted with this film. We love what Stone Barrell has done with the shots and the editing. Fantastic stuff.” - Ella, No Vice Ice ✨
✨ "I absolutely love it… Captured exactly what we do… It’s amazing!” - Sandra,
Waste2Taste ✨
✨ "This film is brilliant! I love it.” - Laura, Flo’s ✨

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Think the OX4 Food Crew sounds amazing? Please do vote for them in the Smiley Charity Film Awards this January! It takes just 30 seconds to vote.

Have a tasty project you want us to get our teeth into? Drop us a message and let's chat.