Helping to create a range of healthy, colourful salad dishes for the members of the Choir With No Name and their volunteers. (About 40 people in total.) Mostly washing, peeling and chopping vegetables and chatting with the other "Kitchen Ninjas"! Full menu - 3 bean salad with new potatoes, grated raw beetroot and tomatoes and cucumber

Yesterday, new GoodGymer Lynn and I teamed up with lead chef and fellow GoodGymer, David, to cook a vibrant meal for the Choir with No Name. On the menu was a colourful, vegetable-packed dahl served right after their Monday rehearsal, giving everyone a perfect opportunity to "eat the rainbow." Not only did I learn the true meaning behind that colorful phrase, but I also picked up a brilliant shortcut for peeling garlic quickly!

"Eat the rainbow" is a straightforward nutrition concept centered on plant pigments. The vibrant colours in fruits and vegetables come from powerful phytonutrients and antioxidants, with each colour profile offering unique health benefits:

• Red foods (like tomatoes and grapefruit) contain lycopene, which helps protect against certain cancers.
• Orange foods (like squash and carrots) are packed with beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A for healthy skin.
• Yellow foods (like sweetcorn and yellow peppers) provide carotenoids that actively protect our eyes.
• Green foods (like broccoli, kale, and spring greens) deliver iron and energy-boosting compounds to help prevent anaemia.
• Purple foods (like aubergines, red cabbage, and blueberries) offer anthocyanins, which serve as excellent anti-agers.

Energised by the prospect of this colourful feast, the choir beautifully rehearsed the repertoire for their upcoming summer gig with Soul in the City on Saturday 18th July.

The Ship Song - Song by Nick Cave from the The Good Son Album 1990

*Come sail your ships around me And burn your bridges down We make a little history, baby Every time you come around

Come loose your dogs upon me And let your hair hang down You are a little mystery to me Every time you come around

This Monday was open mic night at the ChoirWithNoName singing over a Karaoke track or around the piano! Members were invited to suggest their favorite hits and bring instruments to play and perform their songs of choice, including Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush.

In the kitchen there was another music to play 🙃.

For this community mission, GoodGym’s Amanda stepped up as lead chef for the first time at ChoirWithNoName. She headed the kitchen alongside Sonam and me, with Lindsey and Anne-Mari rounding out our volunteer cooking team.

On the menu tonight: Potato and Spinach Gateau. It was a total race against the clock to peel, slice, and bake crispy potatoes while sautéing a mountain of onions, mushrooms, and spinach. Meanwhile, Amanda was a powerhouse, whipping up both vegan and vegetarian versions of the béchamel sauce.

I’ll admit, procuring and cooking food for 50 people was a first for me — but what an incredible, rewarding Good challenge! Many volunteers and members commented on how tasty the cooked meal was - DELICIOUSly Good :-). We were also proud to have successfully sourced several essential ingredients from surplus food via Olio. While the effort left us completely exhausted, Sonam somehow still had the energy to run all the way home!

"And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God, And I'd get Him to swap our places

Be runnin' up that road, Be runnin' up that hill, Be runnin' up that building (yo)

Say, if I only could, oh".

From Kate Bush's song, Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God).

All the volunteers are lovely and I was able to help with setting things up, serve coffees and help create a joyful positive atmosphere for all the guests. We then all had a lovely meal together and then cleaned up. I enjoyed it very much.

Here's a photo of Stefania serving this wholesome daal prepared with much love and care.

We managed to save 30+ sandwiches, 3 baguettes, 30+ pastries, plus other treats to turn Good quality unsold food in a feast for the ChoirWithNoName Brighton, celebrating their 7th birthday with a flash mob gig in the Open Market, Brighton Station and Band Stand.

It was a great fun baking homemade muffins alltogether while rehearsing the songs that Amanda and Stefania also performed with the choir on the day, including:

*Times Like These - Foo Fighters:

It's times like these you learn to live again It's times like these you give and give again It's times like these you learn to love again It's times like these, time and time again*

Happy birthday ChoirWithNoName!

The choir is invititing us to their next open rehersal on Monday 8th October - Are you coming?

Four GoodGymers took over All Saint Church kitchen’s under the guidance of lead chef Amaryllis and new GoodGymer Amanda and Sarah, this Monday!

Oven pasta was on the menu for the meal of ChoirWithNoName. Every Monday the choir get together and share a communal hot meal after their rehearsal. This week also said goodbye to the choir director Ziggy, who covered during Freya’s maternity leave.

We did three amazing gigs all-together, including the Big Xmas Singalong that was a sold-out event, touching our hearts as usual and fully powered by your amazing energy and shining purple colours, as so you like, dear Ziggy.

The highlighted song of the evening: “Blinded By Your Grace, Song by Stormzy”

I'm blinded by your grace I'm blinded by your grace, by your grace I'm blinded by your grace I'm blinded by your

Lord, I've been broken Although I'm not worthy You fixed me, I'm blinded By your grace You came and saved me

I said a prayer this morning I prayed I would find the way To another day, I was so afraid 'Til you came and saved You came and saved me And the rain was pouring 'Cause the sun faded away Now I'm in a better place No longer afraid Blinded by your grace You came and saved me I said a prayer this morning I prayed I would find the way To another day, I was so afraid 'Til you came and saved You came and saved me And the rain was pouring 'Cause the sun faded away Now I'm in a better place No longer afraid Blinded by your grace You came and saved me

Thank you, Ziggy! This is only a goodbye. We will sing together again.