With winter creeping closer, a piping-hot bowl of homemade soup goes down particularly well.  

It's interesting to recount that Egginton’s Church of St Wilfrid has been making a name for itself with it successful and highly regarded ‘Meet, Greet and Eat’ community lunches.

Starting in 2018, with a break for Covid, monthly lunches have become a popular and eagerly awaited social event, providing an opportunity for people to meet and make new friendships.

Gatherings of 45 to 50 persons are usual, eager to sample the 10 or more soups on offer and where second helpings are very much the norm!  

Together with a roll and butter, glass of wine, and cake or fruit to finish, its hardly surprising that the word has spread to neighbouring villages too!

There is no entry fee and donations are invited on departure, raising around £4,000 a year. 

Huge thanks rightfully go to the faithful team of helpers, who prepare the food, set up the church and wash up and clear away.   

Such is their success that they have been awarded the Bishop of Derby’s “Certificate of Excellence”.

This initiative was the brain child of Chris and Kay Marples, resulting from a holiday at Porlock, in Somerset, where they witnessed a tragic suicide.  

Having summoned help, they observed the emergency services handling the situation and were then required to make a police statement. 

Understandably this experience was traumatic and, still somewhat in shock, they narrated their experience to a local shop assistant.  

News got around and, when they attended Porlock’s soup lunch the following day, there was a whole lot of support and care shown for their wellbeing.  

It was then that Kay hatched the plan with the churchwarden Pat Riley for monthly soup lunches in Egginton.  

Not without its learning points, its now become a major success!

Important issues have been the availably of storage space in the church; creating space in the church for the setting up of tables; assembly of a committed team of helpers, and progressively accommodating a growing demand for places.  

A very welcome breakthrough was a CVS grant of £750 for the purchase of soup bowls, water boiler, slow cookers, food thermometer and other things to replace some very tired equipment.  

It also paid for certain helpers to obtain their Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate.

The St Wilfrid’s team would like to thank most warmly all those who have given their support to this venture, most particularly those who cook and serve each month.