From Sandwich Shop To School‑Food Powerhouse At The Pantry UK

In the world of school catering, few stories are as inspiring as that of Luke Consiglio and The Pantry UK—a family business that has grown from modest beginnings into one of the leading independent contract caterers in the country. It is a tale of ambition, values, and a belief that food is far more than just sustenance.

Humble Beginnings & Big Dreams

The story begins in 2006 on Hayes High Street in West London, where Luke bought a small sandwich shop.

At first, it was simply a local business: people coming in for lunches, sandwiches made with care, and a commitment to freshness. But from early on Consiglio had a wider vision: he wanted The Pantry not just to serve food, but to bring something different to contract catering—a mix of quality, personal service and innovation.

Within two years of launching, The Pantry expanded into buffets and event catering for both local and national businesses including DHL, Amazon, Hertz among others.

Their first big contracted job came at Hillingdon’s Civic Centre, where they were asked to run a daily coffee shop and hot‑food service for over 1,000 staff. That served as a showcase of what the young company was capable of.

Soon after, they started supplying school lunches—hand‑made packed lunches—for a local school. From that point, schools became a central part of the business.

Growth, Values & What Sets Them Apart

The Pantry UK has grown in both reach and reputation. Today, it supplies meals to around 170  schools, feeding roughly 40,000  pupils per day, with most of its work in primary schools.

Turnover has reached close to over £20 million, while the team is fast approaching 1,000 employees.

What has driven this growth is not just scale, but consistent attention to values. From its early days, The Pantry has insisted on high standards—fresh food, nutritional leadership, sustainable sourcing, an emphasis on employee well‑being, and close client care.  They are not just about providing food but educating a generation and providing positive food memories that will last a lifetime.

Luke has spoken frequently about wanting the business to be “more than food” for its clients and staff—offering more than just meals, but engagement: innovation in meal ordering, responsible supply chains, good nutrition, and attention to the customer experience.

Recognition has followed. The Pantry has won a number of accolades in recent years: Supreme Champion Family Business of the Year, Growing Business of the Year, Innovator of the Year, Contract Caterer of the Year, Education Caterer of the Year among them.

Awards have become a signal not only of commercial success but also of the values and mission that the company stands for and recognition that they are pushing boundaries in their sector too.

The Family Business Element

Though The Pantry has grown quickly, it remains very much a family business. Luke sees every team member as part of the Pantry family—not just staff.  The business started with the support of his family, his Mum Tracey working long hours in the sandwich shop to make sure everything was completed before doing it all again the next day, rolling her sleeves up and getting involved as the business scaled and took on contracts that were too big for them at the time, and together the family got through the early days. 

Family are integral to the business with Luke’s Dad, brothers, cousins and father-in-law all having active roles in the business.

His management style is rooted in this family ethos: care for employees, a sense of shared mission, and loyalty and is driving the business to new heights.

Family appears in more than name: his leadership, the company culture, and the way they present themselves all emphasise personal connection.

Recent Achievements & Where Things Stand

In recent years The Pantry has hit several milestones. They now operate across over 170 schools.

Over the past four years, the firm has grown “exponentially,” introducing innovative systems in ordering, enhancing sustainability, and pushing nutritional standards as central to its offer, raising the bar and exceeding expectations of those involved in the sectors in which they operate.

Luke has also been recognised individually: in 2023 he was named the UK’s ‘Most Ambitious Business Leader’ in the LDC Top 50 scale, and The Pantry took home several major industry awards.

Challenges, Ambitions & What's Next

Of course, The Pantry’s success hasn’t come without its challenges. Scaling a food business—especially one operating in schools—brings logistical, regulatory and cost pressures. Ensuring high take‑up in school meals, meeting nutritional guidelines, maintaining supply chains, working to incredibly tight budgets, recruiting and retaining staff—all these are ongoing hurdles. But Luke seems to view these less as obstacles than opportunities.

His ambition is clear: to become the biggest in his industry, feeding more children every day than any other company in the sector and doing it by putting healthy, nutritious meals on the table to help create a positive experience for the children they feed, hopefully maximising their engagement in school and creating positive food experiences at the same time.

The Pantry aims to continue growing organically, keeping its core values intact, extending its reach with more school contracts, possibly going beyond the education sector, enhancing sustainability further, improving nutrition and innovation in meals, and importantly preserving its family‑business identity even as it scales up.

Reflections & Legacy

Looking back, The Pantry’s journey demonstrates what can be achieved when passion, ambition and ethical purpose are combined with good business discipline. Starting with nothing more than a small sandwich shop, Luke has built an organisation that has transformed school food for thousands of children, created employment for hundreds, and achieved recognition across the industry—not by cutting corners, but by building up standards.

As the business forges ahead, its legacy so far is already substantial: showing that family values don’t have to limit growth; that doing good can go hand in hand with doing well; and that small beginnings can lead to real impact.

For many pupils, parents, and school staff, the meals The Pantry provides are more than food—they are a statement about what care, quality and community can mean in practice.

Long may their growth journey continue.