A new restaurant concept - where diners can donate ingredients or help in the kitchen in exchange for food - is coming to Folkestone next month.

Chefs at Custom Folkestone will cook out of a converted shipping container on Folkestone's Harbour Arm from September.

The idea by artist and chef Cherry Truluck will focus dishes on locally sourced fish, seafood and vegetarian food, alongside foodie art projects.

The community interest company's mission is to make quality food accessible for all, by encouraging diners and chefs to work together; for example, by bringing along home-grown ingredients, or washing up afterwards.

Mrs Truluck, known for her work at East Cliff Kitchen, said: "The labour exchange, as with the ingredients exchange, will be based on a system we have called 'soft negotiation'.

"Each case will be treated individually and through conversation we will decide how best to thank someone for their contribution, with the main reward being all or part of a meal in Custom.

"There is no fixed food-for-time value, for some people washing up for an hour is much more strenuous than others and we want to recognise that. The exchange will be very personal and also each negotiation will be recorded in a log book for reference, so we expect the whole process to get stronger over time."

Each week, Custom will publish a wish list of seasonal ingredients that may be growing in gardens and allotments or wildly, with a drop-off slot on Fridays.

In addition, a community meal will be held on a Sunday once a month to allow diners to try other local produce brought in by customers or supplied by companies, and chefs will teach guests how to cook it.

Mrs Truluck is supported by directors Madeleine Hodge and Kate Hickey and partners Folkestone Fringe, with a programme of artistic events running alongside.

It's hoped the site will be the UK’s first dedicated food-focused art space, as well as alleviate food waste, by using the gluts from people’s smallholdings, buying excess from farmers’ markets and using foraged food.

The venue is currently being set up with help from an online crowdfunder, with incentives for future investors. The overall target of £23,000 will help pay for necessities such as the shipping container conversion, kitchen equipment, raised beds for the garden and the first month of wages for staff.

Once established, profit from food sales will cover basic costs.

Mrs Truluck, who has won awards for her food, continued: "As soon as we are open, we can start creating opportunities for people that don’t currently exist in Folkestone - access to specific cultural and learning opportunities, work experience and training in our kitchen and vegetable garden, all within our exchange programme, so no-one is ever working without reward.”

There will also be a restaurant menu paid for in the usual way, including small brunch and lunch plates, as well as an evening tasting menu and wine list.

It will be open all year round, available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

For more information, visit www.customfolkestone.co.uk