What has a takeaway menu got to do with a Football Club, let alone be important enough to go into our list of Watford in 100 Objects? Well Matthew Wilsonhome emailed us and told us his special story about how it helped him during his time as a Watford fan. Matt wrote:
Due to parents divorcing I moved to Ingatestone in Essex from Hemel Hempstead at the age of 10.

From the age of 14 I used to tell my mother I was off Saturday shopping in Romford, but used to get the train to Liverpool Street, across London and then up to Watford to see the Hornets.

Post match I used to wait for the Joy Garden to open and treat myself to rice and a soup (easy to eat with a spoon on the way to the station). This went on until I was 18 when I moved back to the area in Oxhey.
For the record I was allowed on my own on the train from 16 but it wasn’t until I was 18 that I told my mother what I used to do.

The Joy Garden on Vicarage Road

So that list of Chinese food dishes not only sums up the commitment and passion of a football fan and of course lying to a mother. Let’s hope Matt’s Mum forgave him!

If you’ve got a story like Matt’s that you want to share then please drop us an email. The list is growing – be a part of it!