Lunch time and it was time to rock and roll in the kitchen and service area. Melissa and Steph Ducat were in the kitchen to serve food and they were joined byLibi who decided to stay and help. The trio platted the dishes before they were handed to the service crew where Jacquie was handing over the food to hungry customers. As good Friday, it was a fishy day : Salmon with lemon served with potatoes and green beans or stuffed peppers with the veggies on the side.Then came cake with hand made cream.Something fishy in the air but the customers loved it. The team served food and started cleaning pots and pans to avoid stating behind with all dirty pots. Some take away dishes were provided once everyone had been feed.

All customers and volunteers received Easter eggs - Happy Easter all.

Not your normal Friday at the ESK Hub : Good Friday indeed. Means a Frdiay with a twist. No grocery bags, no clothing section, no showers but instead you still had the bingo, the tea and coffee service and a choir session to celebrate Easter. A first at ESK for both Libi who was on tea and coffee duties and Melissa who was in the kitchen with the usual suspect Steph Ducat. Jacquie was back from Australia and ended also between the kitchen and service area. In the kitchen something fishy was going on...prep for the lunch service!!After 12:15 you could hear some singing from the choir and the customers joining in. Lunch time was approaching and the kitchen and service crew were getting in place.

I was back on serving duties at lunchtime. In spite of it being very busy - over 120 meals served - I really enjoy serving meals and chatting to the clients, both regulars and new faces. Lunch was chicken with couscous and beans plus a cabbage slaw. Vegetarian option was a delicious quiche (I can vouch for it!) Desserts were either cheesecake or chocolate cake with cream. Not many takeaways today as so many clients turned up for lunch.

This morning’s early shift found me in the kitchen- carrying out various chores to help with lunch. And doing lots of washing up! The team had been busy preparing food parcels and setting up the tea/coffee table. But there’s always lots to do in the kitchen on Fridays 😊

It was a busy lunchtime at the Soup Kitchen today. Chef Arul cooked delicious spicy noodles with chicken or tofu for the vegetarians. Over one hundred guests sat down to a hot tasty meal and there was plenty for second helpings and takeaways. I was on serving duty today and really enjoyed seeing so many old faces. It’s not just the food but the social interaction that is so important and makes the Soup Kitchen such a special place.

I moved from serving teas and coffees to helping with the lunch service - chef Andrew had made a delicious bolognese pasta bake. There was a vegetarian option and both were served with salad. Dessert was fruit crumble and custard. Andrew got lots of compliments including from me as I sampled a portion - and got the recipe from him! There was a constant flow of clients joining us for lunch so the kitchen crew were kept busy. It was nice to get lots of ‘welcome back’ from the regular clients and makes me realise how much I enjoy volunteering at ESK.