I joined an extremely busy lunch shift at Ealing Soup Kitchen today. It was Chef Nigel’s first time being in charge in the kitchen - with over one hundred guests - and his meal was a massive hit. There was a paprika chicken dish with rice or vegetarian alternative - and the clients loved it. A shortage of volunteers meant I was moving between serving lunch, clearing tables and helping with the washing up. But it was all worth it to see the smiles and get such positive feedback from the clients 😊

It was great to back at Ealing Soup Kitchen after a couple of months away. There was a large queue when doors opened at 11am and it seemed that everyone wanted a drink. I helped out with the drinks service for a while then went into the kitchen when it got quieter. After their hot drinks, clients moved on to the Snow Cones machine which proved very popular. And of course I had to try it for myself - it was most welcome in a hot kitchen 😊

Four Goodgymers present for the lunch service. It started very quite in the morning and throughout the day the temperature was going up but the flow of people was still very smooth which helps the table service. James was giving out parcels ...90 of them. Delphine joined the kitchen crew as was on pot was duties. Rainu was serving guests and was in her element. Steph Ducat was still in kitchen plating either the chicken casserole or a veggie option with a hand made mash and sone green beans. The temperature reached 30 degres in thr kitchen despite having a fan put i it. The flow was very smooth and the guests enjoyed the food. We started getting Michelin ratings and we got several 20/10 for the food. Let's put a Michelin star outside of the ESK entrance. the crew plated just over 100 main courses...yet we counted and to be exact it was 105 plates. Dessert was either you love it or you hate it : you make your own mind on this one. The desert was a Tiramisu!!This was a last minute option as originally it was going to be apple pie with custard. We know the guests love their custard so maybe next time it will be apple pie and custard.

Both James and Steph Ducat were early at the crypt of the church to help out at ESK. Both regulars and before walking in they already knew were they would be working. James in the prep area of grocery bags and Steph Ducat in the kitchen. It was very calm : was a storm coming? The kitchen was in full swing but no chaos. 90 grocery bags were prepared and ready for later. The doors opened at 11am for the customers and it was very quite. Tea, coffee were served and bingo was also starting. In the kitchen, the crew were on time and had some spare time on their hands.

Look who is back?Who let Jp out of Richmond? Good to see JP back in Ealing 2 weeks in a row to help with the cleaning and packing at the Friday Hub. Am sure Aruj and the team don't want to let JP go as his floor cleaning is tip top!!So shiny.

The trio Libi, Melissa and Steph Ducat stayed to clean the kitchen and service area. They were joined by Katarina and Jp shortly joined by Rainu - wow 6 Goodgymers on the cleaning shift. The cleaning was done in a blink of an eye - super heroes!!The whole area was spotless and Arul was impressed with the smell that came out of Jp bucket when cleaning the floor - secret cleaning recipe?

Happy Easter All.