Cooking skills are a popular food and health activity with all age groups. Good things abound from cooking skills activities. Learning to create an attractive tasty meal, using a range of techniques, is great for building confidence. Cooking sessions are also an opportunity to support people trying to manage on a tight budget, and learn about food hygiene, using equipment safely and reducing food waste. And there’s the social side, learning to cook and eating together with others can be just as important to some groups as skill development.
Edinburgh Cyrenians Good Food tutor ran a session on public health issues with the first-year nursing students at Queen Margaret University. Students also learned about the role the Cyrenians and other third sector organisations play in improving people’s health in the community.
Read ‘Cyrenians Good Food tutor goes to Queen Margaret University’ here
Confidence to Cook aims to promote healthy eating messages through practical hands-on cookery sessions, particularly in low-income communities with vulnerable groups. Sessions are run across Grampian in a range of venues.
Read ‘Confidence to Cook – community kitchens’ here
Sunlite Café in Stirling gives people with mental health challenges the opportunity to gain self-confidence and skills in a friendly, supportive environment. Members are involved in running the café and offered food and hygiene training, including REHIS Elementary Cooking Skills.
Read ‘Let’s Make it Better – Sunlite Café’ here
Edinburgh Community Food – cooking with women in the criminal justice system
This case study focuses on Edinburgh Community Food’s course with women who are in the criminal justice system and explores making recipe adaptations for participants who may be facing significant barriers to having a healthy balanced diet.
Read ‘Edinburgh Community Food – cooking with women in the criminal justice system’ here