Volunteering with The Mini Cooking Club

Volunteers play such an important role in our charity, without them we could not do the amazing work we are doing at the moment. The Mini Cooking Club runs cooking classes for children and families in the borough of Southwark.

Our volunteers are often university students studying a nutrition related degree that are looking to expand their skills and get on hands experience in the field, or professionals in the food industry wanting to give back to the community. However, you do not have to be an expert in nutrition or cooking to volunteer for us.

For the last couple of years, the Club has had a range of volunteers from all walks of life. Some are retired and looking to meet new people, while some are professionals who are tired of the London rat race and looking for new experiences. We even have chefs who want to put their skills at work even after cooking the whole day!

However, what all of our volunteers have in common is sharing their passion of food with others.

One of our volunteers says: “I’ve found that eating well can make a big difference to my health and would love to share this knowledge with other people”.

A typical day for a Mini Cooking Club Volunteer may consist of assisting in the kitchen, helping people with knife skills, talking about the nutritional content of food or writing food-related articles. Whatever your interest is, there is something for everybody – but what is also important is that you are “keen, socially motivated with an appetite for change.”

Volunteers say that they learn a lot of things related to food and nutrition. They say that they also find it humbling to witness people learning about this. However, being a volunteer brings with it a lot of memorable moments.

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


If you are thinking of volunteering with The Mini Cooking Club and seeing what it is like to share the joy of cooking, our volunteers say: “Do it, it's a fantastic experience.”

For volunteering opportunities please contact us at info@theminicookingclub.org.uk or visit our website for more information.

By Yancy Jensen

Dragon Café Southwark re-opens for 2014!

The latest creative endeavour by Mental Fight Club, the Dragon Café, has been warmly welcomed back this year with new funding from the Maudsley Charity.

Every Monday in Borough, Southwark, the crypt in St Giles the Martyr Church becomes a hive of activity – thanks to an innovative and inspiring programme of events that explore issues relating to mental health, recovery and well-being. It’s very exciting to see this creative hub back and as busy as ever, offering artistic and physical activities for all to drop in and experience for free.

Sometimes discussing our mental health can seem like a daunting task. We may feel disconnected from our peers or embarrassed to admit that we’re feeling overwhelmed. That’s why it’s so important that spaces such as the Dragon Café exist, in order to offer an impartial and comprehensive range of discussions and activities dedicated to promoting good mental well-being.

The Café gives people the chance to work through recovery while trying new experiences to see what works for them as an individual, but also invites a social atmosphere where the assumed or real stigma that often surrounds mental health is pushed aside by frank and open conversation.

Suffering in silence should never be an option: the Dragon Café embraces originality and inclusion.  Fixtures include art workshops, book swaps and, this month, a class in mindfulness training!

Mindfulness can provide assistance with feelings of anxiety or stress by teaching us to ground ourselves in the moment.

Physical activities include massage, dancing, Tai Chi and, from April, boxing classes. Massage in particular can help to re-establish the connection between mind and body.

There is even a selection of yummy vegetarian food on offer, from moussaka to soup – all at affordable prices!

You can check out the Café’s weekly programme of events here. In the meantime, here are our top three tips to promote good mental health and wellbeing:

1.    Talk to someone – whether it is a friend, family member or mental health professional, remember there is always someone there for you, and you are not on your own.

2.    Eat well – eating healthy and nutritious food is proven to have positive effects on our mental health. Engaging with our food and cooking at home is a task that enables us to focus, while cooking with others can be a social and enjoyable experience!

3.    Be active – this doesn’t necessarily mean physical exercise. Creative outlets like the ones provided by the Dragon Café can provide a new way to engage with your mental health and take control.

Congratulations to the Dragon Café on their re-opening! Find out more about the Dragon Café.

By Emma Jones

Deskilling Our Generation

Having walked the aisles of many supermarkets I have recently seen an upsurge of raw food convenient products. The pre-sliced vegetable section has grown since my last visit!

These pre-packaged vegetables are attractive as they provide an element of convenience in our already busy life. I mean who wants to spend 30 seconds grating a carrot when you can just buy it prepared.

But who is benefiting from this type of product? At what cost is it coming to us not just in terms of money but in terms of skills? What about the energy and resources used to package the products? What about the waste from the packaging? What effect does this kind of product have on our future generation and their ability to cook for themselves?

I bought a package of the already grated carrots and some loose carrots. I was curious to see what they tasted like and was also curious to compare the actual monetary cost.

The picture above speaks for itself. But, let me just say that when I opened the bag fresh was not the first word that came to mind! I didn’t even think to wash it as the product states that it is already washed.

As I stood there munching away, I noticed the allergy advice: may contain celery, egg, gluten, milk and soy. I ask why on earth would a carrot contain all these products?

Are we really saving that much time when we buy such products? And what are we doing with the time we save?

Buying convenient raw food products is coming to a cost, monetary and skill wise.

If you are interested in your child attending a free six-week cooking course, and live in the borough of Lambeth or Southwark, please visit the Mini Cooking Club website for more information, or email us.

By Yancy Jensen

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

Five Ways to Mental Heath: Creative Therapies Project

The Mini Cooking Club works in partnership with the Creative Therapies Project at the Copleston Centre in Peckham. They run a community mental health project for residents of Southwark, and those who live close to the area.

The ethos of the project is that every individual has mental health, and therefore at times we will all have concerns about it. Breaking down barriers between mental health and illness, the idea is to maintain mental well-being on a regular basis. A bit like taking a car for an MOT, you wouldn’t just wait until it broke down before getting it serviced.

In today’s society, we are bombarded with technology, advertising and demands on our time. It can be stressful keeping up with the super-fast pace of modern life. Overall well-being involves both the mind and body, but it can be tricky to find a balance or learn what’s right for you.

That’s why the Creative Therapies project takes a wide approach to mental health in line with the focus of Southwark Council. They promote the Five Ways to Well-being, which are intended to address all aspects of feeling good about life. The Five Ways are defined as:

1.    Connect
2.    Be Active
3.    Keep Learning
4.    Give to others
5.    Take Notice.

These are worthy goals and have been successfully identified as ways to help maintain the mental health of the community.

The Creative Therapies Project lives its own values through the following ways:

1.    The group sessions facilitate members connecting with others and meeting new people.
2.    The exercise and healthy eating classes keep members active and healthy.
3.    The sessions teach valuable new skills
4.    The volunteer programme provides a platform for members of the local community to give something back whilst learning new skills at the same time.
5.    Psychotherapeutic discussions (both group and individual) grant people the space in which to take notice of themselves and others.

The sessions and classes are held at the Copleston Centre and all are completely free to attend. CPT runs art therapy and music therapy, counselling sessions, complementary therapies, art café and sound café, as well as pilates and zumba. Book your place by emailing Marcela Vielman. The Mini Cooking Club runs cooking classes every Wednesday from10am-12pm.

The message is that you don’t need to wait until you have a problem to be pro-active about your mental health. Also, if you do have a problem, there are plenty of things you can do about it and lots of people who are willing to help.

Follow this link for more information about the Five Steps to Well-Being.


By Catherine Heath