Cooking Up Life Skills: YMCA Goole’s Take on ‘Come Dine With Me’
At YMCA Goole, we’re always looking for creative ways to help residents build essential life skills, and our latest cooking challenge did just that! Inspired by a resident’s idea, we turned a simple ‘Come Dine With Me’ evening into a full programme focused on cooking, budgeting, and independent living.
What started as a fun competition quickly became a valuable learning experience, with residents planning, shopping, and preparing meals—all while staying within a budget. With the added incentive of a little friendly competition, participants put their skills to the test in the kitchen, serving up delicious two-course meals and receiving scores from their fellow residents.
YMCA York and East Riding is delivering temporary supported accommodation for homeless young people in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire. The hostel accommodation features fully furnished rooms and a shared living area and kitchen for residents. Transitional houses are shared homes in the community for adults with low support needs.
Facilitated by our Housing Duty Manager, Eve shared her thoughts on the initiative:
“These cooking sessions were a great success and enjoyed by everyone—adding a little friendly competition definitely made it even more exciting!”
Before the big night, each aspiring chef had a one-on-one planning session with the Eve to choose a two-course meal that would showcase their cooking skills. Together, they mapped out ingredients, created a budget, and then, with the support of staff and fellow residents, set off on a shopping trip—making sure to stick to the planned budget. This hands-on approach not only built confidence in the kitchen but also strengthened essential budgeting skills for future independent living.
Our key worker system ensures regular support sessions are delivered by full-time staff and supplemented with additional sessions hosted by our part-time staff team. Before a resident moves into independent living, YMCA York and East Riding will offer guidance to help them manage their own tenancy, budgeting and bills.
It’s great to see our community coming together and as a result of its success, this will now become a regular activity in the house, giving more residents the opportunity to take part, sharpen their skills, and enjoy a bit of friendly competition in the kitchen. We can’t wait to see what’s on the menu next!
Find out more about how we help young people facing homelessness in our community: