Secondary school pupils from across London will be mixing with professional traders and hosting stalls in the Green Market area of Borough Market on Tuesday 3 February, serving homemade soup and bread to Londoners on their lunch break as part of the annual Young Marketeers Winter Soup Sale.
Taking place from 12–2pm, the sale will see young people aged 11–16 step into the role of market traders for the day, raising funds for Borough Market’s long-standing partner charity, Plan Zheroes, which redistributes quality surplus food to organisations supporting vulnerable communities across the capital.
In the lead-up to the event, pupils attended a training day at Bread Ahead where they learned how to make ciabatta bread with the Bread Ahead bakers and developed soup recipes with School Food Matters. They also worked alongside the Borough Market team to learn what it takes to run a successful market stall, from food preparation and pricing to teamwork and customer engagement. On the day, they will put those skills into practice, serving a warm lunch to busy Londoners, with all proceeds from the sale being donated to Plan Zheroes.
The Winter Soup Sale forms part of the Young Marketeers programme, a long-running partnership between Borough Market and School Food Matters. The programme gives pupils hands-on experience of growing, cooking and selling food, helping them to understand the value of seasonal eating, the importance of reducing food waste and the confidence that comes from cooking from scratch.
As a charitable trust, Borough Market places education and community engagement at the heart of its work. Through workshops with the Market’s expert traders, the Young Marketeers programme connects young Londoners with where food comes from and how it is produced, prepared and sold, knowledge designed to stay with them well beyond their time at the Market.
In line with Borough Market’s food values and sustainability principles, soup will be served in compostable containers, with no single-use plastic cutlery available on site.
Alistair Maddox, CEO of Borough Market, said: “Opening Borough Market to young Londoners in this way goes right to the heart of why we exist as a charitable trust. The Young Marketeers Winter Soup Sale gives pupils the chance to build real skills and confidence, while also supporting Plan Zheroes’ vital work redistributing good food across the city. It’s a powerful example of how food can bring people together, reduce waste and make a positive difference in our communities.”
