Cooking with love
Holly Street Lunch Club offers exercise and food for the over-50s
Nerine O’Connor in the Holly Street Lunch Club kitchen
“Nerine is the Mary Seacole of Hackney – the food here is out of this world!” exclaims Carmen, chatting with her friends in the bright dining hall of the Marie Lloyd Centre.
In the kitchen, Nerine O’Connor is busy preparing a nutritious lunch of salmon, potatoes and vegetables for a group of older people at the Holly Street Lunch Club.
She says: “My intention is to look after older people and make sure they have a happy, energised life.
“I think we all should contribute to make older people feel more respected, loved and cared for.”
Nerine cooks all her food from scratch, sourcing from local markets, and creating delicious menus – from fish with vegetables to jerk chicken and curry chicken.
“I love to cook, I love food,” she continues. “I bring my grandma’s and aunties’ styles into my cooking. If it’s good for me, it’s good for my community!
“You have to bear in mind that not everyone can cook in their old days and as they get older their appetite changes.
“We try to entice their taste buds and get them interested in food. I’m cooking with lots of love.”
For many people, the lunch club, which costs £5 and includes activities and exercise, is a lifeline.
Watch a video of the lunch club at the Marie Lloyd Centre
Molly Porter has been coming for a year now. She says: “Since I discovered it, I’ve become dependent on it. I love the food – it’s of tremendous value.”
Jimoh Adewale adds: “I am here today for exercise and lunch. I like company, which is why it’s important to have spaces like this.”
Violet Burrell is a regular who prioritises her physical health. She says: “I’m here to exercise, keep young and meet new people.
“It is nice talking to people because sometimes it can be lonely if you’re sitting at home watching TV all day. I look forward to coming and eating good food!”
Research shows that residents over the age of 65 have become one of the biggest cohorts of food bank users in the borough.
Jenna Fansa, head of fundraising at Hackney Foodbank, describes a grim reality.
She says: “It’s not unusual for us to meet older people who face isolation at home because they can’t afford the cost of going out, or to meet those who mainly eat cereal or porridge because the cost of a more balanced diet has become prohibitively expensive.”
Against this backdrop, Hackney’s lunch clubs, which are managed by Hackney CVS and supported by the Council, act as a vital buffer for older people.
They provide a space where older residents can meet up, socialise, exercise, do some arts and crafts, become more digitally literate and eat a delicious, subsidised meal.
Members of the lunch club in the garden of the Marie Lloyd Centre
The positive impact of these clubs is emphasised by Mary-Ann Foxwell, CEO of Age UK East London, which hosts the Holly Street lunch club at the Marie Lloyd building three times a week.
She says: “Spaces like these are so important because older residents need to know where to go to get the information they need. It’s good to have a physical space where people feel welcomed.
“The biggest concern we hear from older people is how hard the digital world is to navigate. So we do a lot of digital inclusion work.”
The centre is a hub for older people – offering digital drop-ins alongside art clubs, bingo, gardening and tai chi among many other activities.
It is also home to other charities – including City & Hackney Carers Centre, Choice in Hackney, The Huddleston Centre and MRS Independent Living.
Carmen, who met her friends Clara and Monica at the Holly Street Lunch Club, notes the stark alternative to having a local space to attend regularly.
She says: “If this didn’t exist, we’d have health and wellbeing poverty. Physical agility would decrease and we’d become sedentary. We wouldn’t be as close to people.”
Drop in to the Marie Lloyd Centre, E8 3LA, every Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm; call: 020 8981 7124 or: 07831 583 343.