The pop-up will re-open from 22^nd September to 2^nd October and will form part of the Talking Peace Festival organised by the charity.

Rebecca Crozier, International Alert’s Head of Emerging Programmes, said: “Across different cultures and continents, food has the power to bring people together and encourage the act of sharing. In some Middle Eastern countries, it is custom for the perpetrator of a crime to cook a meal for the victim and their family as a way of fixing broken bonds. In Europe, too, we find ways of using food to calm domestic storms, to unite communities and bring neighbourhoods together.

“We hope that Conflict Café will give diners a glimpse into the diverse cuisines and complex histories of some of the countries where we work, highlighting the positive role that food can play in peacebuilding.”

This year’s chefs will present the cuisines and histories of Lebanon and Sri Lanka, and will be helping diners to celebrate the power of food in breaking down barriers and getting people to resolve their differences.

Diners will sit at communal tables in the underground tunnels of House of Vans in Waterloo to enjoy traditional dishes while finding out more about issues facing the countries concerned.

The event will begin with Lebanon week, followed by a week that will focus on the cuisine of Sri Lanka, where International Alert first started its peacebuilding work 30 years ago.