Soup star Willow, 9, cooks food for Wisbech homeless

Kind-hearted, nine-year-old, Willow Barry has cooked up a 'souper' scheme to provide free hot food for people who are struggling.

Her Sunday Soup with a Smile venture went live at the weekend when she delivered 50 litres of hot, nutritious food to a Wisbech hotel which provides accommodation for 27 homeless people.

Willow had done all of the leg work herself – from persuading a sponsor to provide ingredients to preparing the first batch in the kitchen at home at Walpole St Peter.

She is now a dab hand at making soup and said: “It’s lucky I like soup as I will only know how to make soup when I get older.”

Her mum Michelle explained that Willow had been very concerned to read about how costs are going up and was worried how people will be able to afford to feed themselves.

She was especially concerned about homeless people and was trying to work out what she could do to help. She came up with hot, tasty, nutritious soup and set about finding someone to donate ingredients, preferably to reduce food waste.

Michelle said: “Willow wasn't having much luck tracking down ingredients until she went with me to a Lynn wholesaler. She obviously charmed them with her determination and they agreed to donate meat and vegetables.”

Next she had to find a location to hand out the soup and was on the point of giving up.

“She had to be persuaded that taking soup out on the streets was not an option,” said Michelle.

Finally they found the White Lion Hotel, at Wisbech, and delivered the first 50 litres at the weekend. It was put in the hotel kitchen for residents to help themselves.

Michelle said: “Willow spent all day on Saturday preparing the ingredients and cooked it on Sunday morning. She plans to do this fortnightly and the sponsors have agreed to supply ingredients so the recipe may change from time to time. She does it all herself. I just provide the transport. And I have to say that Sunday's soup was delicious.”

Willow's kind and caring nature first shone through during Covid when she sent daily jokes to Terrington Lodge home to “make the residents smile.”

When the Duke of Edinburgh died she wrote to The Queen saying she was sorry to hear the news – and received a return letter and a copy of the order of service at Prince Philip's funeral.