Last orders

My final shift at the surplus food cafe. It closes tomorrow and will shortly be demolished to make way for a new road aimed at reducing traffic on our very narrow High Street. So today, after 4 years cooking here two days a week, I made my last gardener's pie and pasta bake, served my last quiche, jacket potato and fruit crumble.

In its short life the cafe has won a variety of awards for sustainable initiatives, featured in numerous radio/TV programmes and newspaper/magazine articles, hosted countless meetings, visits and workshops, and garnered a huge tally of positive reviews and comments. It has  trained young people seeking work experience and has supported  many other volunteers with different needs. It has informed local people and businesses on how to avoid wasting food.  It has sparked similar projects in other parts of the UK. Above all it has saved a vast tonnage perfectly good edibles from going into landfill thus adding to the carbon overload (greenhouse effect) that causes global warming.

Although the cafe will close the surplus food initiative will continue in the form of a Community Fridge scheme enabling  surplus food to be donated and distributed to people free of charge on a basis of trust.. Volunteers will collect, stock and monitor the contents. And there's also the possibility of  another venue that could take over the cafe's social function by providing a space for meetings, groups and gatherings - minus the food and drink.

I've blipped the cafe's multifarious activities, its users and workers, over 50 times under the tag transitioncafe, starting with the very first one in April 2012 when it was just an empty shell of a building. Since then the old place has seen a lot of hard work, cameraderie, delicious smells,  satisfied customers, learning, laughter and some tears. There may be a few more tomorrow when everyone is invited for a farewell party.