Our Managing Director, Tracey Sopp, rolled up her sleeves and joined the expert team at Café Bede in Sunderland to serve Christmas lunches at Monkwearmouth Hospital. Our festive lunches are a highlight of the season across all our cafés, bringing joy to staff, patients, and visitors alike.

The café team decorated a room specially for the Christmas lunches along with festive music, all designed to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Tracey got stuck in, helping to plate up and serve the lunches. She was impressed by the pride the team take in their work, with every plate presented perfectly and consistently.

Tracey observed the team working in complete harmony, plating up meals in silence but with perfect coordination, never getting in each other’s way – each of them instinctively knowing what needed to be done next.

After the lunches were served and the dishes cleared, Tracey headed behind the scenes to help wash, dry, and put everything away, ready for normal service to resume in the café. The whole thing is a real team effort – while serving Christmas meals, the rest of the team kept up with regular customers, making it a busy but rewarding day.

Christmas lunches are a special tradition that brighten the day for so many people. Keep an eye out for dates at your nearest café next year – you won’t want to miss out!