The creative juices flowed in the training kitchen at Peachey Street, where people living in our Shakespeare Street hostel and transitional homes took part in six weeks of useful and inspiring cooking sessions.
The creative juices flowed in the training kitchen at Peachey Street, where people living in our Shakespeare Street hostel and transitional homes took part in six weeks of useful and inspiring cooking sessions.
Funded by Enable, these practical sessions involved preparing dishes from all over the world, using different methods to make meals healthy and nutritious.
Each week the group followed recipes and learned new skills. They made a variety of dishes including pizza, chilli, ragu, ratatouille, five different kinds of pasta, and more.
Participants took part in group discussion alongside the practical cooking sessions, talking about budgeting for cooking and the employability skills that can be used in the kitchen. The importance of communication was a big focus.
The participants learned to work really well as a team and became more confident in themselves, their social and their cooking skills. At the end of each session, they brought together the food they had made and sat together to eat, along with the staff. This was an important community bonding aspect of the course and have continued to cook together now the sessions have ended.
Liz, who led the practical sessions, said:
“It’s important that everyone gets the opportunity to learn to cook. I’ve been privileged to work at Nottinghamshire YMCA and I would like to thank everyone that came along to any of the sessions to help make the course a great success.”
The final session took pace in Jamie’s Italian restaurant in Nottingham, where professional Chefs gave a pizza making demonstration.
The course has inspired some of the participants to pursue a career in the catering and food industries.
Resident Muna said:
“Owning my own restaurant has always been a dream of mine; I used to cook meals for my family of 10 people, and I loved it. These sessions have given me the chance to experience cooking in a professional standard kitchen with a team of people. They have improved my communication skills and prepared me for work. I’m so glad that I did it.”
You can find out more about Enable here: https://www.lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk/our-programmes/enable