Mercato Metropolitano: A food experience beyond eating

Image 1 of 2

Its name may translate as "market", but the term seems rather simplistic for this wide-reaching social project. Mercato Metropolitano was set up in Milan last year not only to offer locals a large range of sustainable produce on their doorstep, but to bring together vegetable gardens, a kitchen school, cinema and more in a central location built for the benefit of the immediate community. Since its launch, more than 2.5 million visitors have stepped through its doors, and it now dishes out more than 600,000 meals a month.

Its success has led it to expand to the UK, where a 45,000sqft site opened recently in a once-disused South London paper factory between Borough and Elephant & Castle. The location may be different, but the ethos remains the same, with the emphasis on a socially responsible and sustainable economic model.

"The western world has a growing dependence on industrialised food and products that are made in large volumes with a focus on sales, not quality. As a result, we have lost the sense of what our bodies really require. We don't need something just to fill our bellies; we need nutrients to make our bodies and minds work properly," says economist Andrea Rasca, who founded Mercato Metropolitano. "And on a social level, we need good and tasty food to share with our friends and family. That is what Mercato Metropolitano offers its customers."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The outpost brings a taste of Italy to the UK capital – including what it claims is "the best pizza maker from Naples". Alongside are award-winning artisanal producers from London and beyond. This month sees it roll out its programme of workshops, cookery demos and cultural events. It also hosts an independent cinema, run by Backyard Cinemas, as well as Prezzemolo e Vitale, a supermarket originally based in Palermo that specialises in southern-Italian delicacies.

There is still room for expansion for the ambitious project and, as of next month, the top floor will open as a relaxed and affordable co-working space.

Mercato Metropolitano is open from 11am to 11pm, Tuesday to Sunday; mercatometropolitano.co.uk