Tuesday night at Foodcycle has become a highlight for some of the GoodGymers in Luton.

Foodcycle are really appreciating our partnership in providing two or three volunteers each week. Impressed by our tee shirts and joyful approach and willingness to get stuck into some tough tasks around the town it has been suggested that perhaps we are a Cult.

Well today Martin and Gill prepped the veg for a STEW with JOY, and got their spoons to STIR to create a delicious meal complete with the most crispy crushed CULT-ivated potatoes you've ever tasted.

Assine , now a regular face at Foodcycle, arrived later to set up the hall for the guests and to join the host team in serving up a delicious three course meal and our trio was complete. Another successful mission for GoodGym Luton.

Tonight at Foodcycle, Martin and Alex joined the other volunteers to provide a delicious 3 course meal for 40+ visitors. I joined the cooking team for the first time this evening and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. We cooked Pumpkin soup 🍲 and Winter Vegetable Pie 🥧 with green beans and put together a delicious concoction of fruit salad and Mr Kiplings lemon slices with custard. Alex got stuck in with the hosting team and helped to look after all the guests when they arrived. All in all, it was a great task and we both had great fun

This evening, FoodCycle Luton welcomed over 30 guests who were grateful to have somewhere warm and safe to eat a homemade meal together. In the kitchen, our cooking volunteers included GoodGym regular / all round super star Gill! To start, our guests had a healthy salad with roasted Beetroot. The main course was a delicious Moroccan style stew with baked rice, and for pudding there was a lemon sponge with fruit salad and a melon and grape coolis. On the hosting team was Awesome Assine and myself, who got stuck in making teas and coffees, serving food and supporting guests to fill out the annual guest survey, which aims to capture a snapshot of what kind of circumstances the people using the service have, what they really like about FoodCycle and any ideas on things they think could be improved. We finished the evening by working our way through a mountain of washing up ! Guests left content after a great meal, another successful FoodCycle session supported by GoodGym.

This evening at the Sikh Temple Shri Guru Ravidass Sangat in Luton, Goodgym formed an international and interfaith team of cookery students learning the kitchen arts of Langar.

Our hosts welcomed us all on arrival with chai and spiced fritters called pakora, and an introduction to our meal plan for the evening. Langar is about offering a simple nourishing meal to share.

The many hands were turned to chopping, stirring, seasoning, mixing, kneading and rolling. The many stomachs were rumbling in anticipation as the spices blended and the flavours wafted. The many hearts were warmed with a common hospitality. The kitchen was busy to busting.

The supper table seated folks from India, Ireland, England, Italy, Iran, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Morocco and Libya.

Langar is community, connection and cooking, ensuring no-one who comes through the temple door should leave feeling hungry.

And no-one did !! In fact we left with full bellies, recipe books and aprons.

P.S. Jhakaas is hindi for 'awsome'

Two of our regular FoodCyclers were on duty again this evening at High Town Baptist Church.

Although it was Hallowe'en the only scary thing about the evening was that there was no food surplus at all provided by the regular supermarkets. Fortunately Gill had prepared in advance to be on the cooking team. Knowing that there were some pumpkins left in the store cupboard from last week she had arranged that she would make pastry and blind bake pastry cases at home, and bring them to the church with one or two ingredients ready to work some magic to turn the largest of them into perfectly palatable plentiful pumpkin pies.

Assine arrived with the other hosts and set up the hall ready for the guests. He was slightly perplexed and a little pessimistic that the peculiarly plasticy looking pumpkin would perform pleasingly with pastry in a pudding. But when the time came for dessert he proffered the slices of pie with panache to the guests who polished them off promptly with praise.