Cosy Crow Café- Gateshead OPA
Do you like good food, reducing waste, offering support and dignity to those in vulnerable positions, and building strong communities? If the answer is yes (and if you're in the vicinity of Gateshead!), I highly recommend a visit to the Cosy Crow Cafe in Deckham. Miss Mini-Apprentice, my friend, and I visited this week and we are all keen to return soon.
The Cosy Crow Cafe is run by Gateshead Older People's Assembly from 12.30–3pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It launched last month, and we must have heard about it on Twitter shortly after, as we have been salivating at the menus each week as they pop up online. We weren't sure if it was open to all, so it wasn't until we saw a review from Canny Foods that we had the confidence to pop along and try it for ourselves.
Warm Welcome and Tasty Food
We arrived to a warm welcome from the friendly, hospitable, and attentive staff. Miss Mini-Apprentice opted for a wrap with a side of pasta bake, my friend chose the quiche, and I took the opportunity to try my first-ever corned beef pie. The food was really tasty, and while the portions are small, we were offered seconds – a sensible, waste-reducing way to work.
This week's menu:
Pecorino + Cherry Tomato Pasta Bake
Corned Beef, Leek & Potato Pie
Cheese & Onion Quiche
Ham & Cheese or Cheese & Tomato Wraps
Meat-Free Sausage Rolls
Sausage & Cannellini Beans
Raspberry Crumble Muffins, Assorted Cakes & Biscuits
The menu changes weekly, as the ingredients are provided by local charity FareShare North East. They acquire perfectly edible food destined for landfill and pass it on to member charities, which include centres for victims of domestic violence, homeless organisations, and kids clubs. Last year, FareShare North East provided food for 350,000 meals in the region and saved more than 140 tonnes of food from going to waste.
Community, Conversation, and History
Between courses, we admired the artwork on the walls: photographs, paintings, and sketches, presumably produced by Assembly members, along with historical photography. Miss Mini-Apprentice got chatting to a lady who used to live on our street. She talked vividly about the war and how her dad had painted the house number on the wall in white paint to make it more legible in torchlight – and the paint remained until the building was demolished last month. We walked past it every day! What a precious memory to share.
I’m not sure what Miss Mini-Apprentice selected for her pudding, as she devoured it before I could register! However, my friend and I both thoroughly enjoyed the raspberry muffins – a real treat.
Supporting the Community
At the end of the meal, we had a great chat with manager Craig Bankhead. We wondered if the camera crew discreetly filming the staff was a regular fixture, but it turns out it was a one-off recording for a Sky TV channel. Certainly, there's been plenty of interest in this scheme, as it's quite revolutionary and fills a much-needed support and care role in the community. The Guardian recently published an article about the work in the cafe.
Talking to Craig and his assistant Lola, it is clear that this is a team that loves people and serving the community. The OPA cafe allows members the chance to meet together, catch up, and socialise, which has a very positive impact on mental health, warding off loneliness, and forming strong communities. It also improves physical health, ensuring that people have access to a healthy, nutritional meal.
Statistician estimates indicate that 1.3 million older people in the UK suffer from malnutrition, and more than a fifth of over-60s skip meals to cut back on food costs. A worrying percentage of the OPA members admit to not eating enough, often due to financial hardship, but sometimes because cooking for one seems like more bother than it's worth.
Pay As You Wish – A Dignified Approach
There are no prices listed on the menu of the Cosy Crow Cafe, as it is a Pay As You Wish/Want/Can concept. Instead of choosing to give the meals away for free, diners are afforded the choice and dignity to pay within their means, or, if they prefer, not to pay at all. I love that this not only enables the charity to raise precious funds to cover costs, but also allows people of all means to come together and enjoy sharing a meal and some time together.
Opening hours (currently 12.30–3pm) are based on customer demand, so please, if you think this sounds like a great idea, come along and support it. It could play an invaluable role in improving the lives and spirits of our older neighbours. Please help spread the word about this invaluable resource!
FareShare North East would welcome enquiries from both food organisations wishing to donate as well as new community projects that would like to receive food.
Get in touch here. OPA are are also always looking for volunteers, so if you'd like to gain some experience (and a food hygiene qualification) by helping out in the cafe, do get in touch.
