WE COOK PLANTS – with Sarah Bentley & The Made in Hackney Chefs

Discover how cooking with plants can be joyful, delicious, and a real act of change at the launch of We Cook Plants – the practical, inclusive cookbook from Made in Hackney (MiH), the UK’s pioneering vegan community cookery school.

Packed with over 100 recipes and rooted in 12 years of community experience, We Cook Plants offers tips for anyone looking to cook plant-based meals without compromise – no matter your time, budget, or kitchen setup.

Whether you care about the planet, want to eat more plants but don’t know where to start, or just love good food with a big heart, this event is for you.

What to expect:

• Live cookery demos from MiH chefs and cookery teachers showcasing fermented drinks, berry raw cake, and British superfood za’atar
• A Q&A hosted by Betty Vandy aka Bettylicious with Sarah Bentley, founder of MiH, diving into the book’s big ideas and everyday tips
• A panel discussion on food justice and culture with MiH chefs and current/ former team members
• The chance to connect with a community passionate about food, justice, and change

All proceeds from ticket sales go towards funding MiH’s life-changing plant-based community cookery classes and providing emergency food support.

Doors open at 6:30pm, talk starts at 7pm – come down early to grab a good seat! After the show, stick around for drinks, music, and a meet-and-greet signing.

Follow us on IG @seedtalks

Speaker Bios:

Sarah Bentley is Made in Hackney’s founder, author of We Cook Plants, and a community food justice and plant-based food transition advocate/ campaigner.

Sharon Gardner is a naturopath and wholefoods plant-based chef and will be sharing her expertise on Irish Moss smoothies.

Sara Shah is a raw artisan cake maker and earth chef.

Hannah Walker is a forager, zero waste cooking enthusiast and former dietician.

Sareta Puri is a restaurant consultant, recipe developer, supper club host, and teacher and Former Head Chef of Community Meal Service at MIH. Now the Diversity & Outreach lead at Sustain.

Jordan Bourzig is a Classically trained French chef who worked in Michelin establishments. Now on an alternative cookery path, he is a College of Natural Nutritiontrained vegan nutritionist and cookery class teacher at MIH.

Nena Ubani aka Duchess Nena, is a self-taught vegan chef, TV personality, teacher, herbalist and author of many cookbooks including Igbo Vegan. She is a trailblazer in Nigeria for plant-based diets.

Matt Butler is the Community Made and Outreach Manager at Made in Hackney, leading volunteers to provide free, nutritious, plant-based meals for the people of Hackney.

Roshni Shah is founder of supper club 8 Plates, MIH’s enterprise manager and former manager of Plant Prospects, our consulting service. She now works at Sustain as the Diversity Outreach Lead.

Testimonials from our guests

⭐ Truly riveting talks, always enjoy these - a great way to spend an evening with some pals. Already looking forward to the next one. - Alexander P

⭐ Expertly run, talks are always super informative and a lot of fun! Couldn’t recommend these enough! 5 star. - Owen S

⭐ Been to a few talks and all have been super interesting. An enjoyable evening to go to either alone or with friends. The talks make for stimulating conversation. Highly recommend! - Daisy J

Support Made in Hackney by adding a donation via the donation option on our ticket page – every contribution helps!

To find out more about our work, volunteer, book a team build or make a donation visit or follow us on .

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Arches London Bridge, 8 Bermondsey Street, London, United Kingdom