Why I’m Travelling to Malawi — And What It Means for Our Fish & Chip Café

Welcome to this edition of Trade Talks, where we bring you insights straight from the fryers of the fish and chip industry. In this column, Sarah Heward, founder and co-owner of The Real Food Café, shares her perspective on the trade.

I am currently en route to Malawi for a very special trip — a journey unlike anything I have undertaken before. To be honest, it’s both an exciting and slightly daunting prospect.

I’m grateful that, even during this busiest time of the year, our team is in good shape to hold the fort while I’m away.

Although I’ve never been to Malawi before, I feel a strong connection to the country, thanks to our ongoing charity fundraising efforts. This connection has grown through our decision to support a charity called Toilet Twinning. It felt like a natural fit for us at The Real Food Café — a roadside diner specialising in fish and chips — where our toilets are an essential facility for customers who often travel many miles to reach us!

Adequate toilet provision is something we often take for granted — but this isn’t the case for everyone around the world. We chose to support Malawi because it is one of the poorest countries on Earth, and Scotland shares a long-standing connection through David Livingstone and, more recently, the Scottish Government. The Scotland Malawi Partnership is an active and engaging association that continues to strengthen these ties.

So, what does all this have to do with fish and chips, or running a small business? In my view — everything.

This journey reflects who we are as a business. What do I mean by that?

• Setting shared goals that unite our team and customers
• Thinking long term
• Committing to projects that deliver meaningful results and real value
• Building strong networks with like-minded people
• Celebrating success

Over the past few years, our team has run a variety of fundraising competitions and taken part in sponsored events —including walking the West Highland Way. One of the most popular was guessing how many chips could be made from a 25kg sack of potatoes!

Thanks to the generosity of our customers and suppliers, we’ve raised over £21,000 — enough for Toilet Twinning to build 350 toilets in schools and communities that previously lacked such basic amenities. 

As well as saving and changing lives, this achievement has created a well-earned sense of pride and accomplishment within our team. They know they’re part of a business that stands for more than just profit and great food — important as those things are.

While I’m in Malawi, I’ll be visiting some very remote villages and schools that have benefited from the toilets we’ve helped provide.

I’ll also be giving a lecture at Mzuzu University to third- and fourth-year Hospitality & Tourism students on entrepreneurship and opportunities in the hospitality sector.

Together with the department heads at the university, we’ve organised a Street Food Pitching Competition. I’m reallylooking forward to seeing what the students come up with — and to being in an innovative environment, inspired by young, enthusiastic minds. That said, I must admit to feeling a little nervous about the “street food” part — I’ve been warned that mice on a stick is a local delicacy!

My final stop will be a remote sustainable village, where I’ve been invited to stay in the villagers’ mud brick homes, as there are no hotels or hostels.

I’ll be shown around the village’s entrepreneurial projects, visit a centre supporting people living with HIV, and — for the grand finale — there’ll be a regional girls’ netball tournament, complete with music, street food and dancing.

I can’t help but wonder: what reflections and learnings will I take away from this trip?

I’m trying not to go in with too many expectations — just to take it as it comes.

I’m looking forward to a simple, humble way of life, to meeting beautiful people, and to experiencing the scenery and nature that I hope will reveal what genuine hospitality and entrepreneurship truly mean.

Who knows what stories or moments I’ll bring back with me? Perhaps I’ll share more once I’ve had time to reflect — or maybe I’ll let the photos do the talking.

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