Homestart Case Study

Letchworth

14% of households have suffered from food insecurities during the Covid-19 crisis. Money is often tight, nutrition is low on the agenda, and confidence in the kitchen is at an all-time low. Supporting families to be healthier at no extra cost would make a huge difference to family well-being and demonstrate that eating healthily does not have to be expensive.

According to Homestart, a charity who works with vulnerable families, many of whom are living in poverty, their children suffering. Many of the parents are not feeding themselves in order to feed their children, and many are accessing the food bank to support their families. Many of their children are turning up at school and nursery hungry from not having breakfast.

Thanks to Herts Community Foundation, I received a grant and was able to go to Homestart in Hertfordshire to offer my services to teach their volunteers about cooking and nutrition. This would then allow them to pass this knowledge on to the families they work with. Giving the volunteers a chance to meet other volunteers was well worth the effort.

ran a 5 week course that was extended to 6 weeks, due to demand. The course was run over Zoom. Initially each session was for two hours - one hour cooking and one hour nutrition talk. I wondered if this might be too long, but the time whizzed past.

The number of volunteers attending was high to begin with - an average of 12 per session. Unfortunately, half term intervened and with the loss of continuity numbers dropped off to around 5.

All the volunteers could cook already. They learnt new simple recipes which they could pass on. On their own suggestion, we cooked:

● Tray Bakes - quick and easy all in one dish
● Homemade Chinese - tastier and healthier than a take-away
● Pizza

The sessions were very valuable for shared lessons and ideas that the group were able to pass on to each other. For instance, we learnt that in many families’ women don’t like to cook because they don’t want to make a mess. We discussed solutions to difficult issues such as these.

Participants were issued with an e-booklet on food waste. They were given access to an e-learning course called “Being Food Smart” which I produced.

As a result of these sessions, I feel it would be beneficial to do this programme in person. The sessions would then reach the parents themselves to improve their cookery skills directly and remove the fear of the kitchen many have. Being in the room together would help bring people together, share experiences and form new connections.