Queen of Greens: Bringing Good Food and Opportunity to Liverpool’s Communities

At Feeding Liverpool, we are passionate about creating a city where everyone can eat good food. One of the most powerful ways we do that is through our partnership with Alchemic Kitchen who run the Queen of Greens – a mobile greengrocer that brings fresh fruits and vegetables directly into the heart of communities across Liverpool and Knowsley.

 

Why The Queen of Greens Matters

Across the city, many neighbourhoods are classed as food deserts, which are places where residents have limited access to affordable, nutritious produce. For families also juggling the cost of living, the challenge of eating well can often feel overwhelming. The Queen of Greens exists to change that.

By stopping at schools, community centres, health hubs and housing estates, the bus makes fresh produce accessible close to people’s homes and workplaces – without the cost and time of making longer journeys to the nearest shop. Customers also have the flexibility to pay for their shopping using cash, card, NHS Healthy Start cards or Alexandra Rose vouchers; this variation of payment options ensures that communities can access fresh produce regardless of their income or location, thereby reducing health disparities and improving nutrition.

Last year alone, tens of thousands of visits to the Queen of Greens helped people to eat more fruits and vegetables, try new healthy food and save money on their weekly shopping. According to the latest Queen of Greens Impact Report, if the bus had 100 customers:

  • 95 would say they now eat more fresh fruits and vegetables
  • 86 would say they have incorporated a greater variety of produce into their diet
  • 86 would say shopping on the bus has enabled them to save money on groceries
  • 76 would say visiting the bus has had a positive impact on their wellbeing
  • 91 would say visiting the bus has had a positive impact on their physical health

These are real changes – not abstract statistics – that show how bringing good food closer to people can transform their everyday life.

 

Voices from the Community

In the last year, Feeding Liverpool worked with photographer and videographer Rob Battersby to create a series of short videos featuring various people involved in the initiative and that aimed to increase awareness of what the Queen of Greens is and highlight how it supports communities across the city.

The difference the service makes shines through in people’s words, as evident in one video where a family praised the produce available on the bus and the service the team provides:

The Queen of Greens has meant my family can try new foods that we would not normally eat. I like the fact that we now have access to fresh fruit and veg that is affordable. The bus is a great way to bring the community together and everyone has a great relationship with Paul the greengrocer.

In another, a staff member at one of the centres visited by the Queen of Greens spoke of the difference the service makes to the families they work with:

The bus is fantastic in that it is a mobile fruit and vegetable shop, so [our] families do not have to think about where they have got to go. They come to the children’s centre and collect their vouchers; so not only are they getting their fruit and veg through the vouchers, but they also come and engage with what is on at the centre and the staff. So it is all really positive stuff.

These testimonies reflect not just the practical impact of access to fresh food – but the community connections and confidence it builds.

 

Becoming a Real Living Wage Employer – Valuing People as well as Communities

At Feeding Liverpool, we believe that tackling food insecurity goes hand in hand with creating fair, secure and dignified work. That is why we are proud to be a Real Living Wage employer – and why we are equally proud that the Queen of Greens has recently become a Real Living Wage employer too.

This commitment means that the people who keep the Queen of Greens on the road – building relationships with communities, setting up at stops and ensuring that food reaches those who need it most – are paid a wage that reflects that real cost of living. It recognises that meaningful, impactful work should never come at the expense of financial security.

For Queen of Greens staff, becoming a Real Living Wage employer is about more than pay. It is about feeling valued, supported and able to focus fully on delivering a service that makes a real difference. For the communities the bus serves, it makes a consistent, motivated team who are embedded in neighbourhoods and able to build trust over time.

This sentiment has been echoed by greengrocer Paul Flannery, who explained what it is about the job that he enjoys so much:

You get a lot of people who know about the bus, looking forward to coming and, when they are here, meet other people who are in the same situation as themselves. Eventually, they will say: ‘What is that?’ I will say: ‘It’s a butternut squash and this is how you can cook it.’ They will come back to the bus the following week and say: ‘That was lovely.’ Then perhaps some more people will get on the bus that don’t know each other and they will say: ‘I had that last week. If I was you, I would cook it this way.’ The service is all about people getting to know each other and helping them to eat healthily. That is what I am passionate about.

By committing to the Real Living Wage across Feeding Liverpool and the Queen of Greens, the belief that a fair food system must also be a fair work system is being reinforced – one that supports both the people accessing services and those delivering them.

 

A Role that makes a Real Difference

As the Queen of Greens continues to grow and evolve, strong leadership and coordination are essential. That is why Alchemic Kitchen is currently recruiting a Project Manager to join the initiative’s team and help shape the future of the service.

The role is an opportunity to:

  • Lead and develop impactful community food projects
  • Support and empower staff delivering frontline services
  • Build partnerships that strengthen local food systems
  • Ensure that the Queen of Greens service continues to reach the people who need it most

The Project Manager will not just be managing the project – they will be helping to create long-term change. They will work within an organisation that is committed to fairness, community voice and the Real Living Wage, and they will see first-hand the difference their work makes in people’s lives.

 

Join the Team

If you are passionate about food justice, community development and creating systems that work for everyone, the Queen of Greens would love to hear from you.

In Project Manager Lucy Antal’s own words:

We are a socially minded enterprise that is looking to support people in our region with access to fresh fruits and vegetables. By joining our team of staff and partner organisations, you will help us to keep making a difference.

By joining Alchemic Kitchen as a Project Manager, you can play a key role in ensuring the Queen of Greens continues to thrive – bringing good food, dignity and opportunity to communities across Liverpool.

To request a full job description and get more information about the vacancy, please email Lucy Antal.

To apply, you will be asked to send a (maximum two pages A4) cover letter detailing why you consider yourself suitable for the post and fill out a short application form.

Apply now and be part of building a city where everyone can eat good food. 

 

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