A regeneration project in London’s Elephant & Castle, designed to highlight sustainable food, is to feature an on-site mill and bakery.
They will be part of MM Factory, which has been developed by community food market operator Mercato Metropolitano, and is due to open this summer. The retail, dining and social space will be part of Elephant Park – a £2.3bn regeneration partnership between Lendlease and Southwark Council.
Situated facing onto Sayer Street, a new street for local and independent businesses, it is hoped MM Factory will help establish Elephant Park as a new food hub for London.
It will operate as an urban production centre, described as a “unique and immersive food experience”, where customers can observe and participate in food production.
Heritage and organic grains will be milled on-site and used in handcrafted bakery, patisserie and pasta products. The project will also feature a mix of micro-restaurants and sustainable food concepts from around the world.
“The Mercato Metropolitano ecosystem is all about community, a place for an ongoing dialogue between local people, farmers, chefs, retailer and artists, and we cannot think of a better place to build upon this community with a new approach to urban retail than Elephant Park,” said Andrea Rasca, Mercato Metropolitano founder.
Lendlease and Mercato Metropolitano will also work together to offer apprenticeships to community members, as well as cooking classes.
Mercato Metropolitano was founded in Milan in 2015 and debuted in the UK in Elephant & Castle in 2016. Since then, it has created more than 200 permanent new jobs for the area.
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