Not everyone can prepare a healthy meal. Miranda Jessop finds some help on the hob...
I first met Teddington resident Belinda Marozzi almost 30 years ago. In those days, she ran acclaimed chef Anton Mosimann’s exclusive cookery academy at a converted Victorian school in Battersea. Since then, her career has continued to revolve around her two grand passions: education and nutrition.
Cooking Up in Richmond
Most recently, Belinda has been instrumental in setting up and running Cooking Up, a brilliant initiative that enables people in the borough of Richmond—specifically those in need – to cook healthy, tasty food for themselves and their families.
“Our founder and trustee, John Harrison-Church, a keen home cook, was concerned that so many families were increasingly relying on processed foods and takeaways,” she explains. “If parents aren’t cooking, children are not learning the skills. So John came up with the idea of starting a charity to encourage people in the borough to cook from scratch.”
Two years in, Cooking Up is a huge success. The service is completely free, and at the end of each class, clients take home a healthy vegetarian meal for four – plus the recipe, so they can cook it again themselves. Many organisations are working to address food poverty in Richmond, but this is the only initiative teaching cooking and providing a meal to take home.
“Our main mission is to get people cooking – people living in challenging circumstances,” says Belinda. “They may have financial problems, they may be carers, they may be socially isolated, have a child with a disability or be experiencing disability themselves.”
So how does it actually work?
“Clients sign up for a five-week course, which is 90 minutes each week. Our lovely volunteers will have prepped everything so they’re ready to go, and our ethos is that it should be fun – fun for the clients and fun for the volunteers. So we’re not lecturing people about their lifestyles but showing them something positive they can achieve in a short period of time. With a few affordable ingredients, they can take home a meal that’s tasty and nutritious for their families.”
Cooking Up has invested in two mobile kitchens, each consisting of six portable induction hobs. One set is permanently based at the community venue Hampton Inspired Hub, while the other is transported between Ham Youth Centre and Whitton Community Centre.
“We mainly work through third-party organisations, like community centres, social prescribers and other charities,” explains Belinda. “But if someone wants to come directly to us, they can.”
It’s a one-to-one support model, so every attendee will have his or her own volunteer right beside them.
“If someone is already quite confident in the kitchen, that volunteer will just be there to help and chat, but for others, the support is much greater.”
Each week, a group of six clients is taught to cook a simple, nutritious meal. With delicious recipes such as lentil, chickpea & cauliflower dahl, veggie paella and tomato, and leek & pea risotto, all dishes are vegetarian.
“I try to look at seasonal ingredients, and recipes usually come in at around £1.50 a head. We decided to be vegetarian for a range of reasons, including cost, sustainability, food hygiene and religious considerations, as well as the desire for people to incorporate more plants in their diet.”
Cook with children
Along with lessons for individuals, Cooking Up runs family sessions in which parents and children can learn to cook a meal together.
“Children always love to cook,” says Belinda. “One parent recently told me that her daughter, who never usually eats veggies, came back for seconds because she was proud of having helped to cook the meal.
“It’s about so much more than simply cooking. It is also about social isolation, community engagement, food education, mental health and general wellbeing.”
Nor would Cooking Up have flourished without its cohort of 40 enthusiastic volunteers. The charity has trained four of them to be session facilitators in a paid freelance role, and has just taken on its first paid member of staff to help co-ordinate the volunteers and classes.
Such is the demand, moreover, that the team is now eager to expand further within the borough.
“Richmond is often perceived as this leafy, wealthy place, but in reality, a lot of people are struggling financially and finding it hard to feed their families. The demand is huge – our only limitation is funding. So, if there are any local corporates who might want to sponsor us, or to lend us their expertise, they would be very welcome indeed.”
For further info visit: cookingup.org
