In a development that will shock absolutely no one who has ever eaten, a new community supermarket offering affordable and healthy food has opened in a Kent shopping centre. The store, run by SEK Community Food Shop, welcomed the public to its home on the first floor of The Pentagon Centre in Chatham.

Gina English from SEK says the shop is open to all, because apparently food insecurity doesn't discriminate. "In addition to supporting people with food insecurity, people will also be able get wraparound support from us, help with employment, looking at CVs and interview skills," she said. "We're also going to help people with budgeting and money management and signposting to other local services." So it's a supermarket, a career coach, and a financial advisor all in one - because nothing says 'efficient' like combining grocery shopping with a CV workshop.

Initial funding to set up the supermarket was provided by Medway Council through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which is presumably the fund for when everything else has gone pear-shaped.

Shoppers can walk straight into the social supermarket, with no prior booking required, to access a wealth of budget-friendly groceries, including a £1 fruit and vegetable bag. Because nothing says 'fresh produce' like not having to schedule an appointment.

Costs are kept low as the store redistributes surplus food to reduce waste, helping to protect the environment at the same time. So you can feel virtuous about saving money and the planet, all while buying samosas.

SEK already operates two similar stores in Kent. English said: "We've had Ramsgate for about three years, Ashford just for just over a year and across the two shops in the last year alone we saw 55,500 transactions and we were able to save 170 tonnes of perfectly good food from going to waste, so they do work." That's 170 tonnes of food that would otherwise be contributing to climate change while simultaneously failing to feed anyone. Bravo.

Some of the first to experience the store were Shirley Graves and her partner Rod Taffs, who have already filled their basket with bargains. "People want to come down and see what they've got, it's amazing," says Graves. "I've got a box of 20 samosas for £1.50 and a big huge bag of chicken for £6. Times are quite tight at the moment, being pensioners, it's cheap and the chicken is amazing." That's right: 20 samosas for the price of a single artisanal coffee in London. "That's going to do us three or four meals," adds Taffs, presumably while mentally calculating the cost per meal and weeping with joy.

Medway Council leader Vince Maple said: "I think most people across Kent and Medway would want to see food not going to waste, so the ability to have good quality food at a reasonable price, helping not just our families and individuals on low incomes but helping all families has got to be a good thing." Yes, helping all families - even the ones who can afford full-price chicken but appreciate a bargain.

The shop also has a confidential, soundproofed office pod at the back of the store where customers can seek personal advice and guidance. Because sometimes you need to discuss your finances without the whole store hearing about your overdraft.

The SEK Community Food Shop in The Pentagon Centre, Chatham, is open Monday to Saturday between 10:00 and 18:00. So if you're in the area and fancy saving some money while saving the planet, you know where to go. And if you're not, maybe suggest your local council get on board - because clearly, this model works.