Family Cookery
Equipping families to make long lasting changes in their diets by teaching foundational cooking skills and nutrition is proven to help develop resilience against food poverty, poor diet and poor health outcomes.
When Amber told us there was no food in the house, we knew that coming along to our Family Cookery Club was more than learning to cook – it was a lifeline. When we first met Amber, she had recently left an abusive relationship and was living in one of the most deprived areas of Leeds. Now a single parent and struggling with her mental health, we were told by her Family Support Worker that, ‘the family cookery club is a lifeline for this mum.’ It became a place where she could learn to cook healthy and affordable meals from scratch and to take care of her two boys.
Amber openly shared with us the huge challenges of living as a single mum with no support. Whilst our family cookery club taught Amber the lifelong skills of how to cook, it also provided immediate relief for her situation, as she was able to take home a cooked meal and healthy snacks each week.
Due to poor living conditions, one of her sons was hospitalised with pneumonia. We reached out to Amber asking if she needed any support, to which she responded that there was no food in the cupboards for the family. As we delivered six bags of groceries to her doorstep, she couldn’t believe how much food there was. She felt overwhelmed, not just by the practical support, but by the fact that someone cared.
By the end of the Family Cookery Club, Amber told us how much they had all enjoyed the group. It was a place where they could spend some happy time together, and they were already repeating the meals again at home. We now regularly meet with Amber to continue to support her and her family. The group was a lifeline not just for Amber, but also for her two sons, as they can now grow up eating healthy and nutritious meals.
Changing the diet of Amber’s family hasn’t just provided vital support now; it also has a huge impact on their longer-term life-chances.
Equipping families to make long lasting changes in their diets by teaching foundational cooking skills and nutrition is proven to help develop resilience against food poverty, poor diet and poor health outcomes.
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