88-year-old foodie finally gets a taste of long-awaited wish

An 88-year-old care home resident with a lifelong love of food ticked a soy-sational item off her bucket list.

Margaret Banks, resident at Care UK’s Manor Lodge in Chelmsford, is known for her adventurous appetite and enthusiasm for trying new dishes – but there was one experience she never quite got around to.

When asked to add a wish to the home’s Wishing Tree initiative, Margaret didn’t hesitate with a request for her first-ever visit to Wagamama.

Despite her love of bold flavours and Asian-inspired cuisine, Margaret had never stepped foot inside the popular restaurant, something the team at Manor Lodge were determined to change.

Margaret said: “I have always wanted to visit Wagamama because I love Japanese food and lots of my friends had told me how lovely the food is. My favourite thing about Asian-inspired cuisine is that it has so many different flavours.”

The team arranged a special trip to Wagamama Chelmsford, where the restaurant’s team ensured Margaret’s long-awaited visit was anything but ordinary, treating her to a VIP experience to mark the occasion as she tried dishes including squid, bang bang cauliflower and noodles with prawns.

Speaking about the visit, Margaret said: “It felt absolutely fantastic to finally visit the restaurant! My favourite dish I tried was the squid, but I would definitely give every dish 10 out of 10.

“The restaurant team were amazing and made sure I had the best experience. I’m already thinking about my next visit!”

From her first bite to her final verdict, Margaret embraced every moment of her visit, with the team affectionately dubbing the day a true ‘Waga-Margaret’ experience.

Natasha Webster, Home Manager at Manor Lodge, said: “Margaret is a real foodie and always enjoys trying different flavours, so when she told us she’d never been to Wagamama, we knew we had to make it happen.

“It’s incredibly important to us that residents continue to enjoy new experiences and tick off things they’ve always wanted to do, no matter their age. Seeing Margaret’s reaction on the day, and hearing her first-time reviews of the dishes, was fantastic.

“We’re so grateful to the team at Wagamama Chelmsford for giving her such a warm welcome and making her first visit so special.”

Margaret’s experience was made possible thanks to Care UK’s Wishing Tree initiative, which allows residents to suggest ideas for new hobbies they’d like to try, places they’d like to visit or even activities linked to past careers. This encourages residents to lead fulfilling lives – from skiing to a fish and chip supper, no wish is too big or small for the team to try to grant.

Manor Lodge, rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, is a modern care home that provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to lead enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema, café and hair and beauty salon, and there is plenty of space – both indoors and out – for relaxation and recreation.