I know it's been a few weeks since the last blog post, but there is a good reason for that . . . . . . I promise!
Since the start of the year I have been volunteering at Jamie's Ministry of Food Stratford, helping in the cooking classes. This has been even more of a rewarding experience than I could ever have imagined, and I am loving every single second of it.
Jamie's Ministry of Food is based on a Second World War initiative, when the government set up a national network of food advisors and cooking teachers to educate the public about food and nutrition so they would be able to feed themselves properly with the rations available. In 2008 Jamie Oliver set up the first of the centres (of which there are now 5 in the UK) in Rotherham, the location of the infamous take-away food being passed through the school railings incident in the aftermath of the school dinners campaign.
The centres teach a 10 week course based around specially designed Jamie recipes, which help to pass on the basics of cooking, knife skills, nutrition, having a balanced diet and most importantly fun and enjoyment with both your family and the new friends you will meet on the course. Knowing how to cook from scratch also means that you'll be able to turn all sorts of fresh ingredients into meals when they are in season, at their best and at their cheapest. Sadly skills that no longer seem to be passed down through generations like they used to.
We are currently 4 weeks into the course and I am so impressed with the improvement of our students already. Not just their cookery skills either. There is a fantastic vibe in each class and a confidence in each student which is starting to come out more and more. They are also more willing to try new foods and ingredients, many for the first time.
After each class they take their meals home with them and share them with their families. The pride you get to see in the students as they leave with something that they never imagined they could ever cook is so heart warming and just fantastic to be a part of.
This Saturday (11th Feb) we are setting up a stand opposite Waitrose in the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford (East London) where we will be doing a few demo's and things, so if you are around, please pop down and see us. I guarantee you will be inspired . . . . . . just follow the beautiful smells and they'll lead you to where we are!
The centres are set up with funding from local NHS, councils and corporate business partners, with students only paying for the ingredients used in each recipe. The Stratford centre is currently the only Ministry of Food in the South of England and the courses are only open to local people. I believe that every town and city across the UK would benefit greatly from a centre like this. I was lucky enough to be invited to a graduation party for one of the classes which finished just before Christmas last year and the atmosphere was amazing. The endorsement for the classes from each of the students - who were a variety of ages, from teenagers to grandparents, was incredible.
These classes do help to change lives, and if we all make some noise and lobby our local council's enough, then hopefully more centres will be set up and more classes available to even more people.
I will keep you informed with how the classes progress, and hopefully upload a few of the pictures I have been taking, and I will try to get back to more regular posts too!
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