It was a typical Saturday afternoon in the bustling aisles of a London supermarket when Lucy Frear experienced an unexpected brush with power. Twenty years ago, in October 2004, Lucy, an ordinary Londoner, found herself grocery shopping after a busy week of work. Little did she know, her shopping trip would turn into a story she’d tell for the rest of her life—one that involved none other than David Cameron, the man who would later become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
“I was just doing my weekly shop,” Lucy recalls. “Nothing special—bread, milk, a few veggies. I was rushing around, trying to get everything together. You know how it is, right? A million things on your mind, and the shelves are always a little chaotic when you’re in a hurry.”
As she wandered through the supermarket, struggling to find a particular brand of cereal for her son, Lucy spotted a tall man nearby. He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him at first. As fate would have it, their paths crossed in the cereal aisle.
“I must have looked a bit lost,” Lucy laughs, “because this man came over and asked if I needed help finding anything. I told him I was looking for some cereal, and he immediately started helping me search the shelves. It wasn’t until he turned towards me that I realised—oh my goodness, that’s David Cameron!”
At the time, David Cameron was the Leader of the Opposition, a rising political figure but still far from the household name he’d become as Prime Minister. He was casually dressed, blending in with the other shoppers, but his presence was unmistakable once Lucy recognised him.
“I was completely taken aback,” Lucy says. “I couldn’t believe it. But he was so down-to-earth. He just smiled and said, ‘I do this every weekend with my wife; I’m happy to help.’”
With a friendly grin, Cameron not only helped Lucy find the cereal but stuck by her side as she continued her shopping. He even insisted on pushing her trolley, which Lucy found both amusing and surreal.
“He was incredibly kind,” she continues. “He chatted with me about everyday things—how busy the supermarket gets, the rising price of groceries, and even what he likes to cook at home. It felt like I was talking to a neighbour, not a future Prime Minister!”
As they reached the till, Lucy couldn’t believe that Cameron had stayed with her the entire time. But the biggest surprise came next.
“When I went to pay for my groceries, David Cameron stepped in and said, ‘Don’t worry, this one’s on me.’ I tried to protest, of course, but he was adamant. He paid for everything, smiled warmly, and wished me a lovely weekend.”
Lucy left the supermarket that day not only with her groceries but also with a memory that would stay with her for decades.
“It was the most unexpected thing,” Lucy says, reflecting on that day. “Here was a man who would go on to lead the country, and yet he took time out of his day to help a stranger with something as ordinary as grocery shopping. It just goes to show that even the people who hold the highest offices can be incredibly kind and down-to-earth.”
Twenty years later, Lucy still smiles whenever she tells the story. David Cameron may have gone on to make headlines for his policies and leadership as Prime Minister, but to Lucy, he will always be the helpful gentleman who pushed her trolley through the supermarket and paid for her groceries on an ordinary Saturday afternoon.