East Herts District Council - The right age to cook and eat together

The right age to cook and eat together

Soups and curries, hotpots and potato-topped pies were all on the lunchtime menu when older people in Buntingford got together to cook and share healthy recipes.

The seven week course at Dixon Place sheltered housing, organised by East Herts Council, was aimed at widows and widowers aged 70-plus.

People came up with lots of ideas about what they'd like to cook and then everyone made the dishes and ate together. They opted for traditional choices including fish pie, shepherd's pie, turkey Wellington, curries and casseroles.

Participant Jackie Phillips said: " I loved doing the course as I made new recipes with new friends. It was an excellent course and enjoyed every minute of it, the food was healthy and very tasty and I'm still using the cookery book the council put together."

Linda Haysey, Executive member for health, housing and community support, said: "We created a fun and supportive atmosphere for people to develop their cooking skills and also make friends, as this is a group that is vulnerable to isolation.

"The men in particular were from the generation that wouldn't have had much experience of cooking so the sessions gave them confidence."

Recipes were tailored to suit the health needs of the older generation and the group was also keen to consider portion size, preparing amounts that were manageable and didn't leave any waste.

Try them for yourself at Healthy Eating Recipes.

The right age to cook and eat together

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