Charity volunteers who found romance over parsnip recipe get engaged

A kind-hearted couple, who found romance while volunteering at a community dining charity, are urging others to help feed those in need.

Software developer Dan Humphreys, 27, and product manager Chandana Shankar, 34, bonded over a shared passion for cooking after meeting at their FoodCycle community centre in St Alban’s Church Hall, Thornton Heath.

There are more than 30 FoodCycle projects across London, where each week volunteers take part in a challenge to turn surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, into delicious free meals.

Mr Humphreys said: “I love the challenge of creating a new meal each week at FoodCycle, and it’s been a brilliant way for me to meet new people over the years, too.”

Ms Shankar had been volunteering for almost a year at FoodCycle Thornton Heath, when Mr Humphreys came along for his first shift.

Impressed with Ms Shankar’s cooking skills after watching her improvise a five-spiced parsnip dish without a recipe, Mr Humphreys asked her out on a date.

He said: “She’d wanted to make honeyed parsnips but there wasn’t any honey, so in true FoodCycle style she substituted it with five-spice for that sweetness.

“I thought that was really clever and from the conversations we’d had earlier, she was really interesting, clearly smart, plus the parsnips tasted delicious.”

Now the couple are planning their wedding this autumn.

Ms Shankar said: “We got engaged in November, on holiday in Bologna in Italy which is a very foodie destination, so it was perfect for us.

“We’ll be getting married in September. We’re having a Hindu ceremony as I’m from an Indian background, and afterwards we’ll have a big party with lots of Indian food, and hopefully have a really fun time.”

Since moving in together the couple now volunteer at their closest project, FoodCycle Roehampton.

Ms Shankar said: “Dan and I are really good at cooking together, which makes sense given how we met. You have to cook to a deadline at FoodCycle, and we’ve learned how to pull together to do that. So that makes it super easy and smooth when we’re cooking for friends and family.

“I used to like to know a lot more in advance about my ingredients and recipe.

“Now I’m a lot more comfortable being a bit more creative, looking at what we’ve got and working out what flavours will go together.”

FoodCycle provides a hot three-course meal for 3,500 people nationally each week, and has 25,000 volunteer slots nationwide that need to be filled to run meals in 2025.

Ms Shankar said: “It’s really good fun volunteering at FoodCycle, we’ve met lots of friends, and it’s great to know you are giving something back to your community, and helping the planet too by reducing food waste.”

No prior qualifications are needed to volunteer with FoodCycle and there’s no minimum weekly commitment – just sign up via the FoodCycle website training will be provided.

Find out about FoodCyle’s projects across London here: https://volunteer.foodcycle.org.uk/london

Pictured top: Dan Humphreys and product manager Chandana Shankar at FoodCycle (Picture: FoodCycle)