‘I’d love to make coconut roti and milk rice at the café one day’- Namali’s story

Namali is from Sri Lanka and arrived in the UK 3 years ago. She has been volunteering to cook at our low-cost lunch club and her food is always the talk of the day.  

Namali described moving to Lambeth and the challenges of living in temporary accommodation, where there are no cooking facilities and the rooms only have a kettle.   

Despite the move and the issues she and her daughter have faced, Namali stays positive – saying food is what brings her happiness and that now ‘I am myself’. 

Before moving to London, Namali worked in a café, serving delicious food. She describes her manager there as a ‘lovely lady’ and misses the work a lot. One highlight for her was a Sri Lankan evening she organised, which included authentic dishes from the country’s cuisine.  

Namali first heard about Healthy Living Platform through Anna – our Community Programmes Manager – who told her about our Food Ambassador training and encouraged her to come along. Namali loved the course because she said everything was healthy and veggie and those are two important things for her. She says: ‘I want to be healthy for myself but also be the best I can be for my daughter.’ 

Namali is driven to find out more about lots of foodie things such as: ways to avoid food waste, composting, team work and organisation in the kitchen. She is always interested in new opportunities. 

Now, Namali shops at the HLP pantry every week and cooks with the team at Myatts café. She describes how her mental health has improved since being involved in HLP and that she is living in the moment. ‘I’m happy now because I enjoy helping people here – it’s a sort of karma. Good things come to you when you help others.’ 

Namali’s hope for the future is to open her own food business one day, where the food is ‘delicious’. As we finished talking, I sat down to a plate of coconut cabbage, dhal and rice that Namali had made and it certainly was ‘delicious’.  

Namali has also recently completed our Food Ambassadors course, receiving her Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate, which places her closer to her dream.

Find the details to our next food ambassadors course: Click here to find out more