What is your role and what does it involve?

I try my best to come to the shop every week. My role is basically to support Jacki and Justine with running the shop so that they can focus on other tasks such as managing orders, sourcing new products. I welcome people at the shop, give them information about the shop and our products and stay at the till to cash in purchased goods. When it is quiet at the shop, I am also doing some restocking, helping with signage, to ensure that all of our products can be identified. Whenever it is the end of the day, I help closing the shop, which involves some cleaning.

Why do you love Get Loose?

What I love about Get Loose is somehow what I love about the whole Hackney City Farm: its simplicity and its vibe. The shop's goal is to make sustainably produced organic food affordable and help reduce waste. Get Loose is not selling fancy food. It is simply selling food in its most simple outfit! Also, my favourite cheese costs £1.50 less than at the farmers market, isn't a good reason to love Get Loose? Come on.... the best cheese in town? Oops, I have said fancy fabulously-marketed food wasn't my thing. Another thing I truly love about Get Loose is the community feeling there is here. It is a small shop and once people discover it, they tend to come regularly.

 Why do you enjoy volunteering?

After a day of work on my computer or at meetings, Get Loose is a perfect escape to go back to tangible things. Managing the shop, getting my hands in good oats (just joking, I promise I don't), making sure we are not running out of cheese, discussing people's preferred products, telling them about I much I love these s... (oh, that's our next question already!) and simply having the opportunity to discuss with people from various countries, working in different environments but all caring about supporting a more sustainable food production chain feels great.

 What is your Favourite product and why? 

My very first "coup de coeur" at the shop has been the Yoghurt. produced by Kappacasein Dairy. First, it tastes great, it's not too sour, there's fat, its texture is not too smooth. And I love the feeling of eating yoghurt from such lovely glass containers! It feels very weird to have single use individual yoghurt (pots) when I am back in France! 

Jacki has kindly introduced me to another treat... the Stegos from Niko B Chocolate. These chocolate bits are amazingly good. Not too sweet, they are filled with a date, which pairs the touch of fleur de sel added on top of the chocolate. If I'm almost all the time recommending our customers to try them with strong enthusiasm, it isn't to insidiously increase their average basket value, but because I'm genuinely convinced this bit of chocolate can make our days a little better.

My latest discovery is the result of a conspiracy. Jacki and Justine offered me, “the French person”, to taste a new cheese, to be possibly added to our cheese inventory. The Bath Soft Cheese is incredibly melty and tasty. Even if it's made out of pasteurised milk, it easily compares with a good French cheese. And be sure I will not recommend it to you at the shop, there are too few of them!! 

 If you could promote Get Loose on Tube advert what would you say?

Picture 1) someone back from his/her shopping with a tiny yet looking perfect broccoli and a mini item that was in a lovely packaged cardboard box. 

Picture 2) someone back from his/her shopping with a broccoli in plastic, a banana in plastic, 3 apples in plastic, and other items surrealistically packaged.

Tired of fancy OR plastic? Get simply good food, get loose! 

But to be honest.... I just wouldn't promote Get Loose on a Tube advert ;-)