The Fat Cat cooking Christmas dinner for Colchester charity

The Fat Cat serves food as part of their business in Butt Road and will cook and deliver Christmas dinner to CENS residents.

Some of The Fat Cat’s main courses include fish and chips, stout braised beef cheek and triple sausage and mash, to name a few.

Preparation - The Fat Cat (Image: Google Street View)

Homeless shelter Colchester Engagement and Next Steps has been supporting people who have found themselves homeless for almost 40 years.

The registered charity underwent a refurbishment in 2021 and now provides 15 ensuite bedrooms.

Originally known as Colchester Emergency Night Shelter, they also adopted their current name in 2021.

As part of its transformation, the shelter now offers round-the-clock accommodation rather than overnight stays.

Alexis from the Fat Cat said: "After a few horrible years with covid and the lockdowns, we’re now back on our feet, so it feels like a privilege to be able to provide Christmas dinner again this year.

“Bringing my son up as a single parent and having to move a lot when he was younger, I understand the stress of losing a home. I was fortunate enough to have a network around me that pulled me through each time and kept me moving forward. I always had a job in the family business."

She added: "This year, all of us are helping out – my son will be cleaning the pub ready for us to open up at 12pm.

"They’ll be serving drinks for a few hours, while I’ll be cooking for CENS in our kitchen. It’ll be a hectic few hours but my mum is going to cook us a family dinner so I’ll be able to relax afterwards.

"We’ve got a crown of turkey and a roast ham with all the trimmings. We really hope the residents will enjoy it and have a good time.”