Cafe' Run By People with Learning Disabilities

Last week I popped into Jacksons Cafe' in Romford, I had a lovely meal of lamb casserole with mashed potatoes, broccoli, swedes and carrots. Followed by tea, which was bought to my table in  a teapot with a jug of milk, cup and saucer and a very polite and friendly staff. 

I am mentioning this cafe because it is a community cafe' run by people with learning disabilities, helping  to get training in the catering trade, how to cook meals and serve customers. The cafe is spotlessly clean and like I have already mentioned the staff are very polite and friendly. The meals are freshly cooked and reasonably priced at £5.99 for a two course meal, and the potions are very generous. Normally I would have left some, but I felt compelled to eat it all, as I did not want to disappoint the cook (I was told by the waiter who cook my meal, which made it so personal). 

To help the staff manage orders, rather than the customary pad, staff use a laminated page with images of the menu available in the cafe. When you lace your order the staff tick off the image that represent your order. Once your order has been placed the laminate page is wiped clean ready for the next customer order. I felt this was a very thoughtful and sensitive process which would helped and supported staff who had limited writing and reading skills.

If you are in Romford and you fancy a great snack, then I would suggest you try out Jacksons, it a great place to pop in for snacks homemade meals and they offer a selection of freshly made cakes and you would be supporting a great bunch of people.