Iman Nasser, Food Programme Support Officer at Caritas Westminster, shares insight into the ‘Cooking on a Budget’ initiative running at the parish of Our Lady Immaculate and St Andrew in Hitchin.
‘Cooking on a Budget’ is a partnership between Hitchin parish and the North Herts Minority Ethnic Forum that offers cooking lessons to members of the local community. The project’s aim is twofold: to bring together residents, parishioners, Asylum Seekers and Refugees based in the local area, and to teach participants to cook healthy, budget-friendly meals from a variety of cuisines.
Cooking classes are held in the parish centre, with all materials and ingredients provided. Portable gas cookers are placed on each table, alongside chopping boards, cutlery, etc. so that participants can follow along as the head chef demonstrates. Attendees have been taught to prepare delicious dishes a range of cultures, including a Tuscan vegetable stew (pictured below).
Everyone involved gets to take home their freshly-cooked meal, though some participants generously leave a portion for those who are waiting to use the Hitchin Pantry that operates in the same parish.
‘Cooking on a Budget’ has proved very popular in the local community, with an average of 10 participants attending each session. Feedback from participants demonstrates that the classes offer a safe space for people to socialize, practice communication if English isn’t their first language, and develop cooking and budgeting skills.
One attendee shared her experience of the sessions:
The cookery classes we attended helped us learn how to cook new stuff that I would not normally use or eat. We meet new people, work together to help each other, and the teacher is very supportive and helps us to enjoy the lessons. I would like to continue doing the courses to help myself improve in the future.
Beginning on the 29th of November, the project ran for 10 sessions thanks to an initial batch of funding. Following the success of the initiative, the parish decided to fund an additional 10 sessions, which have now been running weekly from mid-March.
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