A surplus food, pay-as-you-feel café has reopened in Aberystwyth.

A volunteer-led café dedicated to “incorporating surplus supermarket food into tasty vegetarian meals for the local community” reopened its doors on Thursday, 20 May.

The café will open on Thursdays, from 11am to 2pm for drinks and snacks and 12.30pm to 1.30pm for cooked food, in St Paul’s Methodist Centre, on the corner of Bath Street and Queens Road in Aberystwyth. The cost of meals is on a pay-as-you-feel-basis, so those who cannot afford to buy a cooked meal out can pay less.

As before, the café hopes to provide a “friendly, welcoming place for all, whilst also reducing food waste and the consequent huge environmental impact”, by making food from produce that would otherwise be thrown away. The St Methodist Centre has also teamed up with local environmental group, Aber Food Surplus, who redistribute surplus food among the community.

Café volunteer Ruth Flatman said: “We’re really excited to be reopening and looking forward to welcoming back our regular customers and meeting new ones. We hope that people will enjoy the welcoming atmosphere and tasty food.

“Opportunities for people to come together over food are so important and something many of us have really missed over the last year and it’s great to have welcoming spaces that are open to all and where money isn’t a barrier.

“We hope the café will be as popular as previously. We are also planning to open soon on Tuesday lunchtimes too, on the same pay-as-you-feel basis.”

Heather McClure, one of the founders of Aber Food Surplus, said: “Aber Food Surplus collects surplus food from supermarkets, and since 2018 we have been collaborating with St Paul’s church and other community groups to host community cafes.

“The St Paul’s church is a wonderful team of volunteers with creative cooking ideas, and we are so excited it is opening up again as the community conversations and community spirit that it enables is a really positive and fun experience!”

As building was unable to be used during lockdown, it was an opportunity for the team to apply for funding to refurbish the “run-down” kitchen, and, thanks to donations from individuals and grant-giving bodies, the work on the kitchen has now been completed.

The fundraising team would like to thank all the individuals and grant givers who supported their fundraising efforts, including Aberystwyth Town Council, The James Pantyfedwen Foundation, The Garfield Weston Foundation, the Methodist Church and Methodist Insurance Fund.

Other community cooking initiatives offering a welcoming space and a free cooked meal at lunchtime include the Salvation Army (Alexandra Rd, 01970 639112) on Thursdays, The Well and The Hatch (Castle Rooms, Sea View Place, 01970 617184), on Fridays and Sundays, respectively, ECO Food Sharing Hub, (Chalybeate Street), first and third Saturdays (plus access to surplus food, Tuesday to Friday lunchtimes).