The UK throws away millions of tonnes of perfectly edible produce every year despite so many living in food poverty, but in a number of towns across Kent people are fighting back against this terrible waste.

We sent our man Rhys Griffiths to visit Folkestone’s ‘community fridge’ to find out whether there really is such thing as a free lunch – and challenged him to see what he could whip up in the kitchen…

I definitely did not expect to find bags and bags of KFC chicken, coated in the Colonel’s famous blend of herbs and spices, on offer – for free – when I dropped into Wood Avenue library in Folkestone one sunny Wednesday morning. But then again, I was astounded by the whole concept of this remarkable little project.

Food waste is a national scandal. At a time when rising prices make it increasingly difficult for millions of families to put food on the table, the amount of perfectly edible produce that ends up in landfill is a tragedy.

The blame can be portioned out – a bit like the bagged-up helpings of KFC in the freezer at the Folkestone Community Fridge. Supermarkets and restaurants want to only serve up the freshest produce. Meanwhile, consumers are not great at using up every bit of the weekly shop. ‘Best Before’ dates, which are only really a guide, are often seen as the hard-and-fast moment at which perfectly fine food should be destined for the bin.

But there is no reason it has to be like this. And the community fridge movement, which has locations in a number of Kent towns, is at the forefront of the fightback against food waste.

Arriving shortly before 10.30am, when the volunteers open up for the day, there is already a short queue of people lined up at the library entrance, some clutching bags, other wrangling with small children. Conversation between those waiting flows easily, with one young woman recounting her issues with her landlord, and others making sympathetic noises.

Entering the lobby of the library, where the community fridge is located, it’s as if I’ve walked into a cross between a local corner shop and a market stall. The counter is heaving with fresh produce, all kinds of loaves of bread, plenty of fruit and veg. And the remarkable thing is, it is all free to whoever wants it, no questions asked.

“Anyone is welcome, there are no forms to fill in, there's no criteria and that way we can reach everyone,” explains Frankie Thompson, one of the project coordinators in Folkestone.

“People can come without feeling nervous or concerned about how they're going to be received – there's no judgement here. So if you are finding it difficult to support yourself through the current crisis, it's another avenue that you can take.”

It is initially a bit of a hard concept to go my head around. Sadly, we have all become more aware of food banks, and the work they do to help those struggling to get food on the table. They plug a gap where people may otherwise be at risk of falling through the cracks, and many users often feel a stigma about turning to them.

But the community fridge concept is not here just for the most hard-up who are struggling to make ends meet. Everyone, regardless of their circumstances or income, is welcome to join in the fight against food waste by taking away edible produce otherwise destined for landfill. It turns out that, in this case at least, there is such thing as a free lunch.

One of the first people through the door on the day of my visit was John Alder, who drives up from his home on Romney Marsh most weeks to pick up a few bits and pieces.

“When you look at how much food waste there is, it’s ridiculous,” the 65-year-old said, clutching a bunch of fresh flowers which were also on offer that day, having been deemed too old for the supermarket shelves.

“You go to the supermarkets and you just see them throwing it in the bin. I think it’s pointless. They could give it to the homeless, care homes, things like that – which I think they should do, instead of just throwing it away.

“I think this [community fridge] is a really good thing. It does cut down on food waste, it really does.”

Back inside, and volunteers are welcoming a steady stream of visitors, many clearly seasoned regulars armed with bags-for-life or a well-worn tote bag ready to be filled with the day’s offering.

What you will find on the shelves here varies. It all depends what has been donated from local supermarkets, food businesses like KFC and even members of the community giving something back. Amateur gardeners are certainly encouraged to think of the community fridge if they find themselves with a glut of produce this summer, which might otherwise be at risk of going to waste.

The inital set-up of the Folkestone fridge was supported by funding from the Hubbub Foundation, a charity which promotes environmental projects. Kent County Council provided the space in the library, and the now the whole thing runs thanks to the donations of food and time given by numerous volunteers. To date the project has saved a staggering 40,857kg of food which would otherwise gone to waste.

Frankie and the other volunteers were encouraging me to take as much food as I wanted, but I still felt a nagging feeling of guilt – worrying that by helping myself I might be depriving someone else of a meal.

But the response was emphatic. It is down to everyone to take what they can succesfully turn into a meal, because if it isn’t claimed then ultimately the landfill still awaits.

“There’s a real joy in being able to get to know people in your community,” Frankie adds, “and see their faces light up when they walk in and are like ‘this is for free?’

“You’re able to feed people – there’s that ability to help, but also to share knowledge about what’s happening and how we can prevent all of this stuff going to waste.”

Reassured that I am in a judgement-free zone if I decide to fill my bag with food destined for my table that evening, I start picking out what to take home.

There are crates and crates of fresh mushrooms from a local wholesaler, so I grab plenty of those. I’m also encouraged to take some Waitrose asparagus from the fridge, as well as a top-end sourdough loaf from Sainsbury’s.

Later that day I cook up the mushrooms and asparagus, softening them up before stirring through plenty of chopped coriander. That was all piled onto a thick slice of the sourdough, generously buttered, before being topped off with some goat’s cheese we had in the fridge at home.

A quick and easy weeknight meal – made all the tastier for knowing I had done my own very small bit to fight food waste.