Blackburn volunteers treated to a delicious surprise lunch

A neighbourhood restaurant and bar in Feniscowles pulled out all the stops to surprise a group of local volunteers with food they just couldn’t resist.

The Oyster & Otter, part of the award-winning Seafood Pub Company group surprised ten volunteers from Community & Business Partners with a buffet from its newly launched takeaway menu.

Tom Wilkinson, business development manager at the Seafood Pub Company said: “We wanted to do something special for the local community.

“The ladies involved in the Waste Not Want Not programme do a fantastic job, day in day out and it was really nice to be able to treat them to a delicious lunch, as they do for local families.

“The volunteers give something back to the community every day, so we thought it would be a lovely gesture to give something back to them.”

Dishes in the buffet included mini sausage rolls, cheese fritters, a selection of sandwiches, haddock goujons and sea salt fries to name a few.

The Oyster & Otter was the first site to open within the Seafood Pub Company group and has received a number of awards, including the Lancashire Life Restaurant of the Year and Food Awards North West Restaurant of the Year.

The takeaway menu is available every day, meaning diners can enjoy their Oyster & Otter favourites in the comfort of their own home too.

Amanda Meachin, chief executive at Community & Business Partners said: “We can’t thank Tom and the team at the Oyster & Otter enough.

“The volunteers were absolutely thrilled and overwhelmed with the kind gesture, they really weren’t expecting it!

“These ladies work tirelessly to provide local, less privileged families with food they can collect every week, so it was great to be able to turn the tables and give the volunteers a surprise lunch instead.”

The Waste Not Want Not programme takes place from SAMS (Scrap Art Material Store) on site in Blackburn. It is a food sharing programme, designed to recycle food that would normally go to waste. Food is collected from various sources including Tesco. Each family involved in the programme must pay £5 and the volunteers portion up boxes filled with contents such as beans, tins, cereal, bread, pastries and fruit and vegetables, usually to the value of around £30.

Tom added: “It was a great experience to be able to get to know the volunteers and find out more about what they do. “We’re looking to organise and hold a dinner at the Oyster & Otter next year to raise awareness and money for this fantastic organisation.”