Catherine: a year with the Mini Cooking Club

This month is Catherine's one year anniversary at the Mini Cooking Club. She has been volunteering as communications officer, and is responsible for looking after social media, the Mini Cooking Club blog, and the e-newsletter. She has also been involved in other activities such as fundraising, events, volunteer recruitment and cooking classes.

What made you volunteer for the Mini Cooking Club in the first place?

I was working in a role that I wasn't really enjoying and the type of work wasn't at all what I wanted to do. I had only just graduated from my MA course in English Literature, so I was in search of more practical experience to help me find a job that would enable me to use the written skills I had learned. Also, I wanted to volunteer to help others and become more involved in the community. As I was living in South London at the time, and that is where the Club is based, my twin sister - who was previously also a volunteer for the Mini Cooking Club - recommended I apply for this role.

What is the most significant thing(s) you've learned over the past year?

I've learned how many great people there are to meet in the voluntary sector. The vast majority of people are very passionate about what they're doing and helping others. I also became - I hope! - much more skilled at writing technically. For example, how to communicate your message simply and effectively, and what type of writing best suits the web. Also, more interesting things to cook from Cecilia, the Mini Cooking Club's founder!

Why do you think healthy eating and cooking are important?

For a proper enjoyment of life, you need to feel healthy and the food you eat is a massive part of that. Schools can often be over stretched, so children might not learn valuable information about nutrition or really get a chance to learn practical skills. Obviously cooking skills give you the power to choose exactly what you eat, and those skills need to be learned! The Mini Cooking Club inspires children and adults to enjoy cooking.

What is a memory of the past year at the Club that really stands out?

When we tried to hold a fundraising cake sale and it decided to pour with rain. The tents we were under weren't very waterproof and it was also blowing a gale-force wind. Everyone was so helpful and positive, and I learned that sometimes you just have to adapt to circumstances! We still sold all the cakes.

What would you say to anyone else thinking of volunteering?

I would definitely say do it, but only after considering how much of your time you can give and whether you would be willing to give up, say, a few hours over consecutive Saturdays for a period of time to teach children how to cook! Volunteering is really fun and worth the while, but you only get out as much as you put in.

What about to someone who would like to learn to cook but is currently lacking in confidence?

I would say, it's perfectly natural to be nervous about trying something new but even the most famous, world-renowned chefs weren't born with a wooden spoon in their hand! Everyone learns the most basic skills first, so cutting vegetables and boiling pasta. Sure, you'll cook things that by common definition may be disgusting, but that is all part of the learning process. It's worth it for the sense of empowerment you'll get when you become more accomplished!

Interview with Mini Cooking Club volunteer, Tim

Our wonderful volunteer, Tim, has been with the Mini Cooking Club ever since it started four years ago, and he is now one of our trustees. Tim tells us about what inspires him to volunteer.

What made you want to volunteer for a food charity?

Food plays such an important part in my life. Even after the worst day, you can always brighten it up with a delicious meal in the evening. 

What have you learnt since volunteering with The Mini Cooking Club?

It's easy to wrap yourself up in the London rat race: coming to the various classes, watching or helping people from all walks of life learn so much about nutrition and food preparation is both satisfying and humbling. I have learned not to take anything in life for granted, even the smallest of things, as we often do not appreciate how lucky we are.

What is your best memory/funny moment from the Mini Cooking Club?

Being in a class and witnessing the reaction of kids touching raw meat for the first time was quite something.

What would you say to people that are thinking about volunteering with us?

Make sure you understand that volunteering may look fun and "glamorous" from the outside - but ask yourself if you really want to give up  your weekends, or your evenings, to come and help others.
You need to be really passionate about what you're doing and what you want to achieve.

Thanks, Tim! 

Food for Champions: Teaching Kids How to Cook!

Learning how to use knifes safely. 

The Food for Champions programme was off to a great start last week. Some new faces and old, we had a great time preparing a delicious fruit salad! The purpose of these classes is to touch young children in Southwark and Lambeth the joy of cooking and how to eat healthily. 

Together with Enterprise Un-Ltd, the Mini Cooking Club have created a fantastic programme in which your children will learn about some exciting ingredients, where they come from and how to use them to make some tasty recipes from around the world.

We’ll then eat them together as a group with our new friends. Be quick as we have limited spaces, so don’t wait too long to sign up.

The Food for Champions programme will be held at Lansdowne Youth Centre, 278 South Lambeth Road London SW8 1UJ on Saturdays from the 9th November until the 14th of December. Sessions run from 10:30-12:30 and are completely free. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity; we’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Run by Cecilia Belier, our founder, these sessions aim to teach children the value of eating healthily and practical cooking skills, all in a fun setting with others their own age! Children must be aged 5-11 and have an interest in learning how to cook. 

Cecilia is a trained chef and has a background running MEND sessions dedicated to reducing global overweight and obesity levels. She also has a degree in International Development from the University of Hong Kong.  Cecilia currently works at Compass promoting health eating in schools and building community relations.

Click this link for our photo gallery from the session! 

Cecilia and two of our trainee chefs!

By Catherine Heath

Food Therapy: Bake Yourself Happy

Baking, formerly the preserve of the traditional domestic housewife, is currently enjoying a revival. Polka-dotted cupcake cases, retro cakes and striped aprons are everywhere in the craze for cake-making, and the fad is showing no signs of slowing down yet. The popularity of programs like the Great British Bake Off is a testament to the kitchen-craze sweeping the nation. However, did you know there are also myriad health benefits associated with this sweet past time?

Heading to the kitchen to whip up some scones or muffins is one way in which you can take control of your own well-being, without simply waiting for disaster to strike first. Baking’s proven mood benefits mean that investing in essential equipment like a whisk, scales, rolling pin and mixing bowl should be top of your list of things to do. Let’s start with the actual physical satisfaction of eating something you’ve made yourself- it’s warm and delicious to munch straight from the oven, though be careful not burn yourself!

Also, humans generally really like eating sugary carbohydrate-based foods - which of course must be limited to occasional treats – because they release a rush of endorphins into the bloodstream. You don’t even need to eat the cakes to feel the benefits. Next time you feel a bit down, take a walk past the local bakery and just try not to feel instantly better when those delicious smells waft over you.

Physical activity is a proven stress-reliever – remember how people always tell you to go for a walk, or do some exercise when things are getting a bit much? The repetitive physical actions of baking, the concentration required for accurate measurement and strength needed to mix the batter properly all contribute to the same effect.

Cookies, cupcakes, roulade and brownies – there seems no end of the number of things you can whip up from the recipe books using flour and eggs as your staple ingredients. Creativity is well-known to contribute to overall well-being and baking offers this possibility in abundance – through careful adherence to the recipes combined with the possibilities of food colouring, icing and other decorations you can end up with some fantastic results. Butterflies, houses, cats, stars – anything!

One way to make sure you only eat baked goods in moderation is sharing your results with family and friends. They’ll be overjoyed when you tell them you’ve been getting busy with the mixing bowl, and you’ll feel good that you managed to make other people happy, providing an instant mood-booster.

Finally, having a tangible sense of achievement also provides a feeling of happiness. So much of our days are spent in front of computers, on the phone or texting that we often don’t see the fruits of our labours. Baking is different – for a while, anyway, before the “tangible results” have been devoured! Feeling proud of your achievements is another natural way to release those endorphins and help you feel connected to the world. When people compliment you on how tasty your baking is, you’ll find your warm glow of pride increases even more.

The Mini Cooking Club promotes educational nutrition and cooking classes to improve the overall health of society, and we run our own Baking Club for kids at Lansdowne Youth Centre in Stockwell. Email Enterprise Un-Ltd (who we work in partnership with to provide this free after-school club) to book your child’s place now.

So, next time you feel down, instead of giving in to stress or turning to unproductive activities, try baking a batch of delicious chocolate muffins and handing them out to friends, and see if you don’t feel better. You can take a look at this website for some healthy baking ideas to get you started, but once you’ve mastered the basics, the baking world is your oyster!

By Catherine Heath

Surgery and Sautéing

An essay called ‘Michelin-Starred Theatres,’ by R. Newton, et al, draws attention to the parallels between fine dining and surgical practice. Some of the similarities between the chef and the surgeon’s working day include long hours, top standards, intensive training and an emphasis on teamwork.

Cooking and surgery are both related to the promotion of good health. Though restaurant food can be full of unhealthy ingredients like fat, sugar, and salt, chefs play a key role in nourishing the nation’s body. Similarly, surgeons are specially trained to help the body if something goes wrong.

Though we may not all be Michelin chefs, each individual needs to learn vital cooking skills in order to feed him or herself. Everyone must go through the process of learning how to boil an egg, make pasta and maybe eventually sauté potatoes.

Unpronounceable ingredients and difficult recipes on cooking programs can scare the average cook out of the kitchen, but cooking doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy. There is a need to get back to basics, and just have some fun in the kitchen.

Here are some easy recipes to get you started:

• Spicy Salami and Tomato Pasta Sauce

• Easy Oven Frittata

• Black Beans and Rice

On the other hand, surgical practice is quite a bit more difficult, and should only be performed by qualified professionals! Happy cooking.

The Mini Cooking Club runs a variety of cooking workshops aimed at families and children, teaching members practical skills and essential nutrition knowledge. If you are interested in booking a free place for you or your children, please visit our website for more course information. 

By Catherine Heath

The Nutrition During Pregnancy Programme: Week One

It’s been a busy week for the Mini Cooking Club since the launch of our brand new Nutrition During Pregnancy Programme, which started on Monday 13^th May at East Dulwich Community Centre. I went down there to check it out.

It was off to a bit of a wobbly start when we discovered that the community centre put locks on their equipment cupboards for safety, leaving us with no key. Off I popped to the local Co-op to see if they could help.

The first class was a success! The programme was created and is run by our certified nutritionist, Karen Buckley ANutr. On the menu this week was a delicious and surprisingly simple mango and lettuce salad, homemade chips and homemade burgers, both veggie and meat. Dessert was to be Karen’s signature mouth watering banana and carrot muffins.

One of our attendees

It was off to a bit of a wobbly start when we discovered that the community centre put locks on their equipment cupboards for safety, leaving us with no key. Off I popped to the local Co-op to see if they could help.

We started off baking the muffins first, much to the dismay of the weight watchers group in the next room. Next, we prepared the burger mixtures, chopping and blending to create coriander and butterbean for the veggies, and onion and minced beef patties for the meat eaters. We sliced up large baking potatoes for chips, and baked them in the oven along with the burgers.

We had a break for the nutrition class, during which Karen taught the students about the stages of pregnancy and associated physical changes, weight change, The Eat Well Plate, and the necessary nutrients to stay healthy.

After our work was done, we sat down to eat and get to know one another. Thankfully we had cutlery, as the salad covered in lemon juice would have been impossible to pick up with our hands! Sitting down to eat together at the end is one of the key elements of the programme, because it encourages the attendees to discuss their experiences. According to all involved, the first class was a success! You can view more photos here. We headed for home, tired but happy.

As a brand new programme, Nutrition During Pregnancy holds much promise and is the first of its kind. Our aim is to reach out to people who might not otherwise have taken an interest in the food they eat and teach them useful information at such a crucial stage of their baby’s development. It’s also an important way for mums-to-be to network with one another, and make friends.
 

If you are pregnant and looking to learn about the best nutrition for you and your baby, or know someone who is, please email Karen, or call 07779129371. Places are still available.

Our two nutritionists and an attendee

By Catherine Heath

Help is Here: The Nutrition During Pregnancy Programme

Our nutritionist, Karen, and one of our volunteers

Are you expecting a baby, and concerned about the health of you and your child? The Mini Cooking Club is here to help. 

Pregnancy is both an exciting and stressful time, during which hormones can seem out of control and the body is craving all sorts of food. Diet can seem like a minefield, and reading dozens of lengthy nutrition books can be the last thing you want to do. 

That’s why our nutritionist, Karen Buckley, has designed the Nutrition During Pregnancy Programme. On this free six week course, you will learn about the different stages of pregnancy and associated physical changes. 

Karen will teach expecting mothers about the best eating practices to prepare body and mind for childbirth, and ensure your baby has the best start to life. This opportunity involves learning about the best food provision pre and post-birth, for you and your child. 

You will also learn about weight change, the Eat Well Plate and in-depth information about essential nutrition, danger foods, and religious or meat-free diets. You will learn about the benefits of exercise, what to avoid, post-birth nutrition and breastfeeding. 

The Mini Cooking Club welcomes people into the kitchen for hands-on cooking classes, and attendees have the opportunity to participate fully in the food preparation process under the supervision of our chefs. These classes are designed to be fun, creative and above all informative about food products and different cooking methods.

The classes provide people living in the London community with opportunities to learn nutrition and cooking skills. The Nutrition During Pregnancy Programme is the first of its kind, and completely free. The course is open to all pregnant women, starts Monday 13th May and runs for six weeks at East Dulwich Community Centre. We're excited to see you there!

Places are still available, so book yours now. Email Karen, or call 07779129371.

Our founder, Cecilia (far left)

By Catherine Heath