An organisation which gives free hot food to homeless people has rejected as “bureaucratic nonsense” a request from council officials to have its food hygiene standards inspected.

The People’s Picnic provides evening meals twice a week in Norwich.

“We will not allow the establishment to tear down the foundations upon which The People’s Picnic was built,” said its Facebook post.

Norwich City Council said it would be a “last resort” to shut them down.

The People’s Picnic volunteers have served up to 60 home-cooked meals on Haymarket on Tuesdays and Saturdays for about four years.

Officers visited the stall this week and the organisers said they were told they would have to register with the council.

Karen Cully, one of the organisers, said: “We not stupid – we’re not trying to poison people and we never have. It’s volunteers cooking in their own kitchens and it’s mainly stew.

Norwich City Council said it was free for food businesses to register, it was standard procedure to visit food providers and common practise for volunteers’ home kitchens to be inspected.