Sean – Guest

Sean has been a guest at FoodCycle Walthamstow since June 2023. Born and raised in East London, he quickly bonded with some other guests who grew up in the same Hackney estate as him. He now has a table of dinner mates that he meets each week including a fellow weight trainer!   

What brought you to FoodCycle? 

I heard through another service I visit in Leyton as people talk and I thought I’d try it out because I’m retired so I thought it’s somewhere to go and pass a couple of hours. It’s mainly to meet people. I’m a bit isolated because I don’t go to work, especially after Covid.  

What were your first impressions of FoodCycle? 

People are friendly and the food’s nice. It was a bit nerve wracking the first couple of times, but the volunteers were very helpful, people were friendly, chatted and weren’t offish and it made me come back. They should have more things like this.  

What has changed as a result of this project? 

It does make you feel better when you talk to people because sometimes, I go several days without talking to anyone. I live on my own and can spend all day watching TV. It gets me out for a few hours. I’ve made friends and we sit at the same table. With the cost-of-living crisis, it helps to have a meal and saves putting on the electricity. 

What do you think of the food? 

I can’t fault it. I do like spicy food; having had mouth cancer I can’t always taste everything so it’s good when they serve up a nice curry with a bit of a kick to it. I also love the desserts. The best was lemon drizzle cake with custard. I also love a crumble. I don’t like tinned custard as its too sweet, but they make homemade custard.  

What would you say to anyone thinking about coming along? 

I’d advise them to do it. I’ve been going every week and I’ve made lots of friends. Some have similar backgrounds to me, and some are different ages, but we’ve all found stuff in common. I got chatting to some people and found out they grew up in the same area of Hackney on the same council estate. I’ve also met a younger guy who is also into weights – so we chat about our training. There’s no negatives about it. It’s a positive experience.