Tenants and local residents are invited to attend free cooking sessions at our Community Hub in Freckleton.

The Ministry of Food cooking sessions, delivered by Recycling Lives Charity and Social Enterprise, are running at the Community Hub, Auster Crescent, Freckleton, on Wednesdays from 10.30am until 12.30pm. The clasess run until 13 December.

What recipes will you be cooking?

Mike Gregory and Linda Acford from Recycling Lives Charity and Social Enterprise will demonstrate a variety of fun and healthy recipes on a budget, including pizza, burgers, curries and fishcakes.

What do you need?

Just turn up. All ingredients and utensils will be supplied. You will even be able to take away ingredients to cook again at home.

Why are we hosting these sessions?

As food prices continue to rise, we want to help you cook affordable and healthy food.

For example, during last week’s session, we made pizzas, which cost under £1 to make.

See the recipe here: Easy pizza base recipe | Jamie Oliver pizza recipes

Mike tells us more:

“It’s all about the ingredients. For example, you can buy a bag of flour for about £1 and you will use that for multiple items, such as bread or pizza. A loaf of bread can cost you more than £1, but a bag of flour can make you six or seven loaves of bread.”

It is not just about saving money. By making meals from scratch, you can control the ingredients and reduce the amount of salt in your food.

Mike explains: “A lot of convenience food contains high levels of salt, but by making your own meals from scratch, you can control the ingredients. Each class carries a different nutritional message to help people make informed choices.”

What if you don’t have time to cook from scratch?

It might actually save you time, especially if you batch cook.

It can also reduce the amount of times you need to visit the supermarket, also saving money.

Mike explains: “Ready meals or pre-packaged processed foods appear to be convenient as they are oven-ready and fast, but they are not as convenient as you think.

“A lot of the ingredients are from the store cupboard, such as herbs and flour, so it goes a long way. You can make a lot of meals in bulk and freeze them, which also saves you time.

“For example, when we made pizzas, there was plenty of tomato sauce left over for another pizza, or pasta meals.

“And if you don’t have the time in the evening to cook, you can weigh out the ingredients and prepare everything for another day.

“Batch cooking can also reduce the amount of time you need your oven, saving on your energy bills.”

What do our tenants say?

Stuart tells us: “I find the classes very helpful as I have learnt things I would never have thought about. I have also enjoyed cooking in a social setting. It has been great meeting new people and we have had a laugh. If you fancy giving it a go, I would definitely say come and join us.”

 

  • Recycling Lives Social Enterprise delivers Jamie’s Ministry of Food cooking classes to people across Lancashire. The aim of the eight-week course is to allow people to develop practical skills, learning about nutrition, new cuisines and budgeting for the weekly shop. All classes use Jamie Oliver recipes and resources. For more information on the Recycling Lives Training Kitchen, funded by FareShare, visit Teaching Cookery Skills | Recycling Lives Charity

 

  • We are proud to host the eight-week course at our community centre in Auster Crescent, Freckleton. The course, which started on 4 October, has been funded by Fylde Council.

 

  • There is still five weeks to go, and spaces are available. If you would like to attend, please call/WhatsApp/text Sam 07587 647 222, or email community@progressgroup.org.uk

 

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