Spot: Iqbal's Tess’s Kitchen & The Hidden Hunger In Crawley

SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we Spotlight Iqbal Khan 'Q' and the volunteers behind Tess’s Kitchen in Crawley, from its “Spag Bowl Sunday” beginnings to serving around 40 hot meals three times a week. We also hear from people relying on the food, and why dignity, chat, and being seen can matter as much as dinner. 

• the value of hot food when you are sleeping rough 
• Scott’s experience of losing work and housing fast 
• Jamie and Amlish on judgement, work, and rebuilding 
• volunteers on rotating cooking, water, donations, and inclusion 
• why the service is for anyone struggling, not just rough sleepers 
Just get out there and do it.

Iqbal Khan is also one of the Sussex & Surrey Soapbox Roundtable members. 

Please click on 'Send a text' above & join our Facebook group to share your perspective and suggestions for future topics - Thank you for your interest! Clive.

Transcript

How Tess’s Kitchen Began

SPEAKER_08 0:00

So Iqbal Khan, our very own round table member, uh been doing Tess's Kitchen for a little while. Amazing work you're doing in the community. How did it all get started?

SPEAKER_06 0:09

Before COVID happened in Crawley there were many organisations that handing out hot meals throughout the week, different places. And most of them have all gone. So there was a there was a there was a need. There was a massive need, to tell you the truth. So I started off with a thing called Spag Bowl Sunday. So it was just simple. I used to just make a spaghetti bolognese on a Sunday, turn up here with a um delivery bag myself, and then just from there and it evolved.

SPEAKER_08 0:39

And that's how it started. And now, three times a week, roughly, 40 meals a time, two different locations, and busy, people queuing up for the food. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 0:49

I mean, which is a sad thing, really, but at least we're here to make up for the need.

SPEAKER_08 0:55

And as we've heard, it's more than just the food, it's knowing someone cares. It's that conversation and that hope that that luck will change.

Scott’s Story: One Paycheque Away

SPEAKER_06 1:03

Yeah, see, that's the thing as well. You know, um sadly, a lot of the people who are who we are feeding who are on the streets, they might not have a real conversation throughout the whole day. The only other people they're interacting with are the people that they're committing crime with, drug-seeking behaviour, their drug dealer, the police. Here's just like a little escape. We come, we have a joke, we have a laugh. I always always aim to just provide a good tasting meal. If I wouldn't eat it myself, I wouldn't give it out. And what's on the menu? What what have we got today? Today we have a lampil rice made by yours truly. Um it's a simple dish, but they love it, it's going down a treat.

SPEAKER_07 1:41

So we're at Tess's kitchen, the feed now, and we've got Scott with us. Scott, uh, you've loaded up with some rice. It really does help, yeah. I've been on the streets only a couple of months now, but it's it's a lifesaver. It's hot food, decent food, and Ichbel and the team do this three times a week. That's the important thing, the fact that it's hot. Yeah, because being on the streets, you don't have any facilities to cook or anything. So and and if you don't mind me asking, what what led to you being on the streets? Well, up until end of November last year, I was in a job for ten years, then I lost my house, lost my job, and then now I'm in a tent.

SPEAKER_08 2:18

Wow, and and I think a lot of people don't realise how close we all are to that. It only takes a few things happening to it being a slippery slope, right?

New Homelessness And Fresh Hope

SPEAKER_07 2:27

Yeah, it's like people say you're only one paycheck away. And that was the case for me. Yeah. What was you doing before? I'm a chef by trade. Oh right. How how ironic is that? And uh, what do you think from a chef's point of view, Scott? Well, the the first is the second time I've been here, but last time it was fantastic. So I'm looking forward to it tonight. Um brilliant. Thank you very much, Scott. Yes, mate.

SPEAKER_05 2:51

Hello, Crystal! How are you? I'm alright, darling. Listen, be careful with your teeth, the meat's a bit hotter, so with us now, Jamie and Amlish.

SPEAKER_08 3:03

Uh also picking up some food here from Tess's kitchen. Uh, how long have this been helping you for, Jamie?

SPEAKER_04 3:10

First time for me. Uh became homeless uh Thursday. Oh wow, so recently. Yeah, and uh I was recommended to come down here and uh I've come and I just can't wait to eat this food. I'm blessed to have this food. Yeah, and uh when you say homeless, um literally on the streets, on the streets, lost my job, um, so I couldn't pave my way, so I've been let go and um just gotta pick myself up and start again. But I've been for job interviews today, uh looking quite potential, so the sun's shining and it's on the way out.

SPEAKER_08 3:46

Massive respect here and hot meal. Hopefully, the rice is gonna help and the food.

SPEAKER_04 3:51

Definitely hearty meal.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

And how about you? Uh yeah, I've known uh Q for a while. He's been an older brother, inspiration all the time. So when I was going through a rough time, he was there and he always appreciated it because I've always been in work. I've never been out of work. I'm still still working, but there were circumstances I had to be on the street. So but I'm on holiday now, so I'm at open house with my friends and everyone. Cruelly open house. Yeah, yeah. So I'm not staying there at the moment, I'm just staying here. Literally there, over there with the two weeks because there were circumstances I had to move. I work. So first week of uh April, I'm moving to Broadfield. I've seen a place.

SPEAKER_08 4:30

So and this is the incredible thing. Tess's kitchen literally is in Ichbel's mum's kitchen. He makes this up three times a week, serving 40 meals.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

When I was working, he used to he knew where I was. I was there earlier, so he used to put four or five of them, water and everything, and message me. No, no, he's a legend.

SPEAKER_08 4:48

And and it must make a difference if you're on the street just to know someone cares and making an effort.

SPEAKER_04 4:53

Yeah, because there's so many people out there and they don't know what situation you're going through, and it's so easy in these day and ages to judge people and not look at you can't you can't just judge the book bikes cover these days, and they people do, and then when they start listening to the stories, and then then then that's get then they understand.

SPEAKER_08 5:11

Especially the reasons why people come homeless, because I think some people listening will kind of imagine, oh, that's because of drugs and drink. And that's not the case. Generally, we're all just a few pay packets away from being in exactly that situation.

SPEAKER_04 5:25

The last couple of days you're a paycheck away, which is you know what, this whole situation has made me realise how lucky I actually am. And I've had everything, I've worked very high, and to come to this level, it's made me think, right, I'm gonna do different things, diff things differently now. I've got to.

SPEAKER_08 5:46

Yeah, and also change your values, isn't it? It's a real sort of reset.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

It is it's like you you know, when you have everything and stuff, you're at that level, you start looking at people in a different way. But when you get to that level, humiliation is the best teacher, what I see at times, you know. You learn, and then you realize you can't judge people because you have seen that sometimes you have to put your head down and walk rather than running, you know. So that's what is life about. It's not about how hard you can hit people, how hard you can take. That makes you strong.

Volunteers Powering The Kitchen

SPEAKER_08 6:18

And it's really nice meeting both of you. Enjoy your hot meals. I don't want to stand talking while it's getting cold, uh, but yeah, thanks very much.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

So I am the number one volunteer. I've been volunteering for Tessa's Kitchen pretty much since he started the whole thing up. Um, so I come I sometimes I bring the water, um, put two crates on my lap and then bring the water bottles, give them out, and then sometimes I cook as well for about 40 people.

SPEAKER_08 6:45

So well done for volunteering. And it was your birthday, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 6:49

It was yesterday, yes, 25.

SPEAKER_08 6:51

Happy birthday to you.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_08 6:53

And how long have you been volunteering with Tess's Kitchen?

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Um, I say as long as it's been going on for, which I think was September 2024, I'm gonna say. Yeah. So a while, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 7:04

Thank you very much for all the volunteering. Anyone listening at home that wants to get involved and help, what would you say to them?

SPEAKER_00 7:09

Just get out there and do it. I mean, the we're name of volunteers, people can cook some dishes, bring them in, give them out time as people, just get together in the community.

SPEAKER_08 7:19

Well done, thank you very much, Poppy.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

Thank you.

SPEAKER_08 7:22

So, with us now, what's your name? Moses.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

Moses, and how does uh Iqbow and Tess's kitchen, how does it help you? It's very good because whenever we're hungry, we know which day to go to come here basically, you know. We know there's a food there and hot food and nice food. Yeah, absolutely, yes, yes. Um he got out of his way a long way to do this. He's got kids and everything like that, but he still managed to find the time to spend with us and come and talk to us and bring the food and all that. And that's amazing. So, Mark, you're you're pretty much chief volunteer, right?

SPEAKER_03 8:03

Yeah, with uh Q, um I like to say uh don't take much but a little bit of time here and there, and uh it goes a long way. And you've been doing this a while.

SPEAKER_08 8:11

Uh it's it's amazing to see the looks in people's faces when they're getting hot food, particularly hot food.

SPEAKER_03 8:17

Yeah, and it's even better on a cold day for them, uh, as long as uh they're happy and um we're happy to come and help. And generally you feed three times a week, 40 dishes or so, which is the maximum, the biggest pot you've got. Yeah, definitely, the biggest pot we've got, and sometimes that's not enough. And what type of food? All sorts. We got from chicken curry, chick uh vegetable uh curries, uh, we get donated from other people as well, like the Seat Temple, so everything's there is uh vegetarian based as well, that way we qualify for everybody. Uh a lot of halal food goes through Q. Uh Q sort of like sorts the ingredients out. We all cook, take it in turns, cook from Eva from his and ours and poppies, and yeah, it's just all about pulling together and um as a team. As a team and feeding the people who need.

SPEAKER_08 9:07

And this is the beauty of it. Anyone listening at home, this is available to anybody who needs food. Doesn't need to be homeless, doesn't need to be a certain religion. This is anybody who's really struggling and needs some warm food three times a week.

SPEAKER_03 9:21

Yeah, and it's just uh it's not just about the food, it's coming to see us and uh just to uh acknowledge people who don't get much acknowledgement in a day, or so to speak. Or we could be the only people who speak to them in one day or maybe two or three days, which uh really breaks my heart to feel like that, but uh that's reality. Well done to you, Mark. Thank you very much for everything you do. Thank you very much. Thanks to Q and Ted's Kitcham.