Our Story

Our café is a warm, inclusive space created especially for children with special needs and their families. We combine community, creativity, and care to offer a place where everyone can feel supported, valued, and inspired.

Lulu’s Café

Where community, inclusion and good food come together

Information.

Every Friday between 11am and 2pm, the warm scent of freshly baked goods and the hum of friendly conversation fill The Hive on North Street, Southminster. This is Lulu’s Café - a welcoming, volunteer-run community café with a difference.

Prices.

At Lulu’s Café, there are no set prices and no one is ever turned away. Instead, customers are invited to “pay what you feel” - an approach that reflects the café’s commitment to social and economic inclusion. Whether you can give a little or a lot everyone is welcome to enjoy a meal, share a conversation and become part of something bigger.

Inclusion.

Run by a team of dedicated volunteers, Lulu’s Café also provides valuable real-life work experience for young adults with learning disabilities. The café offers them the chance to build confidence, learn practical skills and take pride in contributing to a vibrant community project.

Lulu’s is more than just a café - it’s a vision for a better, fairer world. The team behind it believes that sharing food is one of life’s most basic joys and that eating together can help break down barriers between people from all walks of life. Their goal is to create a space that is socially, economically and ecologically sustainable - one that fosters connection and trust rather than competition or exclusion.

In an era when loneliness, inequality and environmental concerns weigh heavily on many communities, Lulu’s Café stands out as a small but powerful reminder of what’s possible when people come together with kindness, purpose and shared values.

Lulu’s café is a project inspired by Tara Strydom’s son, Luke, who has baked every Friday with his carer, Lucy Harland for over 4 years. Run by Community group - SEND in the Dengie and supported by Maldon Pioneers - a charity providing social opportunities for adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities and Karis Galliano, Community Development worker at The URC (Dengie).

So, if you’re in Southminster on a Friday, stop by The Hive between 11am and 2pm. Enjoy a good cup of coffee, a freshly cooked cheese scone or sweet treat and the warmth of a community that truly believes everyone has something to bring to the table.

Meet the Team

  • Tara

    FOUNDER

    Where' you’ll find me - Baking and organisation

    My top pick from the kitchen - Cheese scone

    Fun fact - I always try to live by my quote “You can’t change the world, but you can change the world for one person“

  • Luke

    FOUNDER’S SON

    Where you’ll find me - Here, there and everywhere

    My top pick from the kitchen - Cheese sandwich

    Fun fact - I represent one half of the “Lu” in “Lulu’s” and I always prefer my sandwiches with one white- and one brown slice of bread

  • Lucy

    LUKE’S TUTOR & VOLUNTEER

    Where you’ll find me - Baking

    My top pick from the kitchen - Lemon drizzle

    Fun fact - I represent the other half of the “Lu” in “Lulu’s”

  • Samuel

    VOLUNTEER

    Where you’ll find me - Washing up

    My top pick from the kitchen - Lucy’s red velvet cake

    Fun fact - When I’m not watching Star Wars, you’ll find me swimming

  • Karis A.K.A The Panini Queen

    VOLUNTEER

    Where you’ll find me - Making paninis

    My top pick from the kitchen - Brownies

    Fun fact - I am also the community engagement officer

  • Anya

    VOLUNTEER

    Where you’ll find me - Waitressing

    My top pick from the kitchen - Brownies

    Fun fact - I love going for walks in my spare time

  • Jean

    VOLUNTEER

    Where you’ll find me - Serving drinks and making sandwiches

    My top pick from the kitchen - Cheese scones

    Fun fact - I met Luke and Tara at the butcher’s, heard about the café and its mission, and I’ve been involved ever since. I’m also Scottish.

  • Tayla

    VOLUNTEER

    Where you’ll find me - Waitressing

    My top pick from the kitchen - Brownies

    Fun fact - I love baking in my spare time

  • Chris

    VOLUNTEER

    Where you’ll find me - Washing up

    My top pick from the kitchen - Cheese scones

    Interesting fact - I have a heart for community and I love spending my spare time socialising