Mike’s Table X Headway EATS 2025
Thursday 11 September 2025
Our partnership with Headway East London is truly cherished at Mike’s Table. After such a successful supper club last year in collaboration, we decided together that we would make this an annual event. Last week, we were welcomed back to their beautiful space, and it was an evening to remember.
About the event
Headway East London supports people living with brain injuries in East and North East London. In recent years, they have hosted their own supper club series, Headway EATS, which is led by their members. As said by Headway member Shaun, who is part of the acclaimed kitchen team, “this place is such a life saver to us,” providing community and a safe space for people to (re)discover their talents and skills after a brain injury.
On the day of the event, we were invited to Headway early for a lunch cooked by members and Thomas (Kitchen Manager), who cook lunch every weekday for the day-service users, using surplus ingredients. After, the kitchen team came together in the kitchen, a collaboration between Headway and Mike’s Table’s chefs, to create a spontaneous menu from the surplus ingredients delivered by City Harvest that day. Usually, Headway members practice their menu in advance of their Headway EATS events, so this was a new challenge. As MT head chef Andi said, “I took a step back, and you could see the confidence grown in everyone since last year, and that’s special”. Whilst the kitchen team were working away, our front-of-house team, made up by Mike’s Table and Headway, transformed the space into a warm and beautiful atmosphere, ready to welcome our guests.
We hosted 48 guests, a mix of Mike’s Table guests referred by charity partners and users of Headway’s casework service, further connecting them with the Headway community. Guests were greeted with a welcome drink and invited to enjoy delicious canapés in the canal-side garden. Guests mingled and soon became friends. Headway member Keith (DJ K-Line) played a selection of his favourite disco and funk records throughout the evening. Our front-of-house team made sure guests were well looked after and enjoyed the evening. As our Mike’s Table volunteer shared, “I thought it was really incredible the way that everybody just worked so well together…you wouldn’t think that there were two separate organisations, you’d just think that everybody was part of the same thing, because everybody is part of the same thing, which is this night, which is really great.”
On the menu was a Gumbo and vegetarian Spiced Black Bean and Tomatoes, both of which were exquisite. Reflecting on the evening, Shaun (Headway member) said “great food, great food I mean and I learnt so much amazing stuff in the kitchen…well, we didn’t know what we were cooking, and we just learnt, we just all got together and put our ideas together, and then we come up with something.”
After some speeches from Louise, Becca, and Peggy, sharing more about what we do at Mike’s Table and Headway East London, we held our regular free raffle for guests, with some lovely prizes to be won: Headway merch (designed by members), Young Vic theatre tickets, supermarket vouchers, and a Taylor Swift VIP package… won on by a young fan. For dessert, the kitchen team worked their magic once again, serving up a delicious Apple Tart.
Thank you to our dedicated team of volunteers! Also, a big thank you to everyone who joined us at our Mike’s Table X Headway EATS Supper Club! We look forward to more collaborations with the wonderful team at Headway.
The Menu
Thank you to our friends at City Harvest, who donated a wonderful range of unique, high-quality ingredients for our chefs to craft a delicious meal. The food is always within its use-by date and would otherwise be thrown away. Here’s the menu from the night…
The Team
Kitchen: Dave, Freddy, Jackie, Thomas, Donovan, Shaun, Andi, Louise and Alistair
Front of House: Keith E, Marcus, Louise, Rosie, Claire, Ciara, Mike, Chloe, and Meggie
Photos by: Mark (Headway) and John (Guest)
Music: Keith (DJ K-Line)
Our Partners
As ever, we couldn’t do it without you:
Carers Network Compassionate Neighbours Medaille Trust HostNation
Prisoners Aboard Room to Heal Nova New Opportunities
Many thanks to our Food & Drink Donors:
City Harvest Uncharted Wines
Many thanks to our Raffle Donors:
Young Vic Theatre Headway East London (and special thanks to Louise’s mum and Elisha)
Kind Words from Guests and Volunteers
“Absolutely amazing tonight, because this is a wonderful menu, the people attending are just out of this world, and whoever is volunteering here, is just superb” - Guest.
"Most people had in common a brain injury on our table. There is such an incredible community here at Headway, and we felt lucky to be a part of that” - Guest.
“This group are, just lovely. You know I’m going back tonight with a smile on my face” - Andi, Head Chef at Mike’s Table.
"It’s not just about the food, it’s the feeling of happiness and safety I get at Mike’s Table” - Guest.
