One less thing to worry about
At MindFood we positively celebrate the fact that we’re all individuals!
Just as we aspire to nurture and protect biodiversity in the natural world, in our food-growing sessions we know that we all benefit from embracing everyone’s unique experiences, background and culture.
Food and food-growing are a language we all share. Every culture brings its own wealth of knowledge that we can learn from: whether it’s in farming traditions, sharing recipes and ideas that are a taste of home, or just a fresh bit of inspiration.
With 1 in 4 people in the UK struggling with their mental health in any given year, and as many as 1 in 2 Londoners feeling they have more stress than they can comfortably handle (these figures are pre Covid), absolutely NO-ONE should feel alone in this.
And that’s the joy of being honest with yourself about how you’re feeling – you’re simply a pioneer member of the biggest community in town 😀
At MindFood you’ll find a supportive and understanding bunch, brought together by a love of food, nature, and a willingness to foster evidence-based techniques to nurture better mental health.
We’re here to help
Although as a small team we’ve accumulated considerable experience, we want to improve.
We’d love you to feel you can tell us what you need. Or simply what would make things
No caller unknown
We don’t expect you to pick up the phone to a number you don’t know, so we’ll always start with a text and/or voicemail to introduce ourselves.
Make choices
We’ll ask you which method of communication you prefer (text, call, email), and ask when is the best time to call you. Or you can text any weekday between and 9 and 5 and we’ll call you back ASAP.
What to expect
We can talk you through how the sessions work, so you know what to expect. A chat over the phone goes a long way towards addressing any concerns… and you’ll also already know one MindFooder when you get to the plot 👍
Feeling frazzled?
A frazzled or foggy brain can find it difficult to take on new info, so don’t try to remember everything: we’ll follow up with an email and clear and simple directions for how to find us (including a map)
Taster session
We like for people to commit to joining us for 6 sessions, as we know this promotes the best progress. But if you want to think of your first visit as a taster, that’s fine – just take one step at a time, and let us know if there’s anything we can do to make things easier.
We’re flexible
Commitment challenges can be difficult to predict, so we offer ‘swap-in’ sessions so you don’t have to miss out. Whether you have caring responsibilities, need to juggle medical appointments, or work a zero hours contract, we’ve got you.
What do I wear?
You don’t need any special gear, just sturdy shoes and clothes that don’t mind a bit of dirt. On colder days we recommend wearing lots of layers, especially if you’re not too mobile. But generally our aim is to keep ourselves warm & dry!
When you get here
Text, call, shout when you arrive at the gate and we’ll come and collect you.
If you’re struggling to find us, just let us know and we’ll talk you through how you can find us
Social anxiety?
Group sizes are small (around the 6 mark) and very informal. You’ll be introduced when you arrive, but we don’t do that thing where everyone sits around a table doing ‘getting to know you’ exercises… Shared gardening tasks are a much gentler way to meet others in the group.
All abilities welcome
We’ll give you tasks that you feel comfortable with, gardening isn’t all about digging! There are loads of gentler jobs to do, like sowing seeds or potting up. If just getting to us tires you out, then you’re welcome to just come to sit and enjoy nature and a bit of company.
Anti-racism & discrimination
We have a zero-tolerance approach to racism and discrimination in any form. Our sites are a place of peace, calm and comfort for everyone, and we expect this to be respected at all times.