Happy Mondays – coming up this summer

What we need is a big big cooking pot
Big enough to cook every wonderful
Beautiful, trustworrthy, lovely idea we’ve got

From Harmony by the Happy Mondays

The monthly Happy Mondays Community Meal comes around all too soon and for the kitchen crew, myself included, it’s heads down and kitchen knives at the ready for a 4pm start. There’s always an air of quiet anticipation in the kitchen as we begin, but also a determined food prepping professionalism. Despite the community centre oven’s temperamental fits, and maybe a last minute dash for that vital ingredient, there’s a great feeling of satisfaction when, with moments to spare, another delicious meal is all plated up and ready to eat.

We cater for around 50 people at 7pm on the third Monday of each month: beautiful seasonal flowers always decorate the long table, thanks to Margaret and Beryl, and a friendly atmosphere prevails with chats across the table.

Planned up and coming food themes are: a Greek evening, an adults’ tea party and a Mexican night with a possible repeat of the legendary Moroccan theme with mint tea. This October we’re hosting a special meal to celebrate the honeybee with Bungay Community Bees who will be closing their apiaries for the winter. The meal will naturally include honey but will also highlight the many fruits and vegetables that rely on insect pollination. Dinner will be followed by a short talk on bees and beekeeping by Elinor McDowall of Bungay Community Bees.

A regular feature of Happy Mondays is Sustainable Bungay’s Abundance table; a table of free produce to share out. Please feel free to contribute if you have any spare plants or gluts of fruit and veg, and don’t feel shy about taking something home!

A great community meal is all about sharing and keeping it local. Book online here and bring along £5 per person, your own drinks / alcohol / partner / friend / enemy / neighbour / stranger as you see fit and join us for our next meal.

Text and image by Lesley Hartley