Here at The Staff Canteen, we feature a different member every month who we think deserves to be celebrated - this month’s winner is fRED mARLBOROUGH.
As thanks for being a regular contributor to The Staff Canteen, Fred will receive a TSC mug, an item of merchandise from our online store, and be entered into our member of the year 2026 competition.
Fred Marlborough’s story is one of resilience, caregiving, and the rediscovery of joy through cooking – a craft he learned not in restaurants or formal training, but in the kitchen where he cared for his mother.
Today, at aged 66 Fred is a familiar face across our community pages, known for plates rooted in comfort, generosity and the lessons passed down from his mother. But the road to his love of cooking began in difficult circumstances.
A journey shaped by family, hardship and a return home
Fred grew up eating the kind of honest, comforting food that would one day shape his own style. But in his early years he drifted away from home, spending long stretches living on the streets and surviving day to day.
He said: “When I was younger, I was a bit of a tearaway and I ended up homeless. I didn’t see my parents for 25 years. I was living on the streets, not getting in trouble, just surviving.”
Everything changed when he unexpectedly crossed paths with his sister.
He said: “One day I bumped into my sister, which was a surprise, and she told me my mother was ill. I came home and cared for her for fifteen years.”
Those years reshaped his life. What began as returning home out of necessity grew into a profound connection.
Fred said: “She took me back in. First she was cooking for me, but after her strokes I had to take over the cooking. My sisters had their own families, so it was down to me. Once I started cooking for her, I really enjoyed it.”
His mother, he said, was a brilliant cook whose food had always grounded him. Recreating her dishes became a way of caring for her and reconnecting with everything he had missed in the years they were apart.
Fred added: “She could just turn her hand to everything, I enjoyed every meal she cooked for me.”
He continued looking after her until she passed away in January last year
