Broadreach Ocean Quay is an organisation that helps people with a history of substance misuse to move on with their lives; the kitchen is the heart of the operation. As well as giving valuable work experience and advice on nutrition, everyone who works there gets a free lunch.

Atmosphere: Imagine visiting your local shopping centre café to discover that they’ve chucked out the fast-food chains and employed a local organic food guru to think up daily menus. The plastic chairs remain, even the family “picnic area”, but the food at the hatch is freshly prepared using locally sourced organic produce.

Worth queueing for: Garth Holder’s Jamaican curry — goat coated in his secret blend of spices, slow cooked with plantain. A former student, soon to open his own Caribbean restaurant — a visit from Broadreach’s “celebrity chef” is always a crowd-puller. For dessert try cherry crumble or carrot cake. Another favourite is roast pork garnished with stewed local apples.

Straight in the bin: The drinks — it’s a shame to wash down roasted Mediterranean vegetables or creamy home-cooked lasagne with orange squash. It’s nice that the drinks are free, but we’d prefer some fresh fruit juices or mineral waters with our meals.

What this place really needs is: A few more comfy chairs. Food as good as this should be lingered over.

Tried and tested: The vegetarian chilli con carne followed by sticky toffee pudding — delicious, Seconds were available; free.

ANNETTE LOVELL

Annette Lovell works at the Centre for Working Links, giving careers and training advice and job-seeking support to former drug misusers at the centre.

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