Blind date: ‘She claimed she was usually shy. I wouldn’t have guessed’

Jack, 31, a nature consultant, meets Heather, 23, who works in marketing for a homelessness charity

Jack on Heather

What were you hoping for?
A nice evening, to meet someone new and see what type of person I would be matched up with.

First impressions?
Pretty, stylish and smiley.

What did you talk about?
Charity shopping. Travels to Vietnam and Japan. The grim reality of Covid self-isolation. My love for turtles and tortoises.

Most awkward moment?
When we were presented with the bill and thought we’d been pranked.

Good table manners?
Very good. I found myself thinking I was the one with the poorer manners with all the bread dipping!

Best thing about Heather?
She is really passionate about her hobbies, including thrifting and charity shopping. I have a lot to learn.

Would you introduce Heather to your friends?
For sure.

Blind date is Saturday’s dating column: every week, two strangers are paired up for dinner and drinks, and then spill the beans to us, answering a set of questions. This runs, with a photograph we take of each dater before the date, in Saturday magazine (in the UK) and online at theguardian.com every Saturday. It’s been running since 2009 – you can read all about how we put it together here.

What questions will I be asked?
We ask about age, location, occupation, hobbies, interests and the type of person you are looking to meet. If you do not think these questions cover everything you would like to know, tell us what’s on your mind.

Can I choose who I match with?
No, it’s a blind date! But we do ask you a bit about your interests, preferences, etc – the more you tell us, the better the match is likely to be.

Can I pick the photograph?
No, but don't worry: we'll choose the nicest ones.

What personal details will appear?
Your first name, job and age.

How should I answer?
Honestly but respectfully. Be mindful of how it will read to your date, and that Blind date reaches a large audience, in print and online.

Will I see the other person’s answers?
No. We may edit yours and theirs for a range of reasons, including length, and we may ask you for more details.

Will you find me The One?
We’ll try! Marriage! Babies!

Can I do it in my home town?
Only if it’s in the UK. Many of our applicants live in London, but we would love to hear from people living elsewhere.

How to apply
Email blind.date@theguardian.com

Describe Heather in three words
Passionate, engaging, warm. She claimed she was usually shy but I wouldn’t have guessed that from our meeting.

What do you think Heather made of you?
She thought I was a good person and a decent date, although she was disappointed about sharing small plates with a vegan (fair enough).

Did you go on somewhere?
We didn’t…

And … did you kiss?
Isn’t the mystery better than knowing?

If you could change one thing about the evening what would it be?
I think we both would have preferred to meet someone of a more similar age.

Marks out of 10?
8.

Would you meet again?
Yes, maybe as friends for some charity shopping or a cheap gig in Manchester.

Heather on Jack

What were you hoping for?
To have an interesting evening with someone new, get a good story out of it and to try some nice food.

First impressions?
Kind and a good listener.

What did you talk about?
Charity shopping. Dating. Our travels.

Most awkward moment?
Getting handed a bill at the end of the meal. The staff didn’t seem to realise that the meal was covered, so we had to get the manager involved.

Good table manners?
No complaints.

Best thing about Jack?
He was good at pursuing any conversational tangent.

Would you introduce Jack to your friends?
It would be good to have a visual for my blind date story.

Describe Jack in three words
Conscientious, kind, thoughtful.

What do you think Jack made of you?
Passionate, potentially funny and I hope vaguely interesting.

Did you go on somewhere?
No.

And … did you kiss?
No.

If you could change one thing about the evening what would it be?
Much more intentional food ordering – the sharing plates were difficult to navigate with a vegan.

Marks out of 10?
8.

Would you meet again?
I had a nice evening but I think the age gap was insurmountable.

Heather and Jack ate at Refuge at Kimpton Clocktower, Manchester. Fancy a blind date? Email blind.date@theguardian.com