logo
£10 course gets mums and dads cooking from scratch

£10 course gets mums and dads cooking from scratch

The Sun30-04-2025

IT'S the never-ending question in homes across the country – what should we have for dinner?
Luckily, one children's charity in Canterbury, Kent, is more than happy to provide the answer. It offers families the chance to learn some tasty new recipes that the whole crew will love – and that won't break the bank.
'We asked parents, like Ellie, what they would like to see us do,' says Ann Lamkin, the family support practitioner who runs the course with colleague Jo Horley at Canterbury and District Early Years Project.
2
'And one of them said: 'Oh, we just need some basic meals, some basic cookery. We're fed up with doing the same old, same old food.'
'So we put together a six-week course where we not only cook, we look at things like the importance of sitting around the table and eating together, or how to save time and money, like with batch cooking.
'Now they've got one extra or maybe five extra new things to add to their repertoire.'
The course, helped off the ground with a £1,000 Tesco Stronger Starts grant, takes place three times a year.
It's been a roaring success, with proud parents posting their dishes to the Facebook page.
One person asked how to make pastry, which they then turned into cheese straws. 'These skills get lost over time,' says Ann.
'There is nothing wrong with convenience foods, but we want to show that actually cooking from scratch can be cheaper.
'You probably end up with three times as much. And parents tend to find that it's not actually as hard as they think it is.'
Around 12 families attend each session. While parents cook, their children play in the free crèche.
Costs are kept to a minimum, at just £10 for the whole course – ingredients included – and there's a free food bank.
Healthy chicken nuggets rolled in cornflakes go down well, as does a moreish macaroni cheese using a homemade white sauce that can be the base of other dishes.
'We made a delicious bean and vegetable hotpot, which the children love,' says Ann.
'We asked our parents to guess the cost. It was just £2.30 for a family of four.'
Ann's top tips? Have a ready-made pantry at home with basics like rice, pasta, mixed herbs, chilli and tinned tomatoes, shop with a weekly meal plan – and don't hit the aisles when you're hungry.
'We reckon over the three courses it's between 53 and 60 children benefiting from having a meal that's cooked by their parents.'
Tesco Stronger Starts has awarded over £13million to almost 12,000 community projects, with grant recipients chosen by more than 330 million customer votes using blue tokens in stores across the UK. Applications for Cooking for All grants close on May 30.
.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Priest Father Dominic Cawdell announces last Sunday service
Priest Father Dominic Cawdell announces last Sunday service

Rhyl Journal

time6 hours ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Priest Father Dominic Cawdell announces last Sunday service

Father Dominic Cawdell, as well as wardens and church officers, are among those set to leave the Holywell and Greenfield Churches community in coming weeks. Father Cawdell sent a letter of resignation as vicar of those areas to the Bishop of St Asaph. He announced his decision during Sunday Eucharist services at St Peter's, Holywell, and Holy Trinity, Greenfield. A post, now deleted, from the Holywell and Greenfield Churches Facebook page stated that the 'situation has become toxic for everyone involved' and 'there seems to be no clear end in sight'. Father Cawdell has decided to step down for 'the sake of his physical and mental wellbeing'. TOP STORIES TODAY It has now been confirmed that he will take his last Sunday Service on June 29. A statement from Holywell and Greenfield Churches read: "It was announced today that Father Dominic's Last Sunday Service as Vicar of Holywell will be 11am on 29th June in St Peter's Church - followed by a Bring and Share Lunch." News of the vicar's departure has been met with disappointment from the community. Many people have described him as a 'wonderful man' and a number of fundraisers have also been set up to support him upon his departure. A spokesperson for the Diocese of St Asaph previously said: 'The Bishop and his senior staff have been engaged with a challenging and sensitive situation in the churches in Holywell and the Estuary and Mountain Mission Area for some time. "They continue to be committed to resolving the issues, with the wellbeing of all involved being the paramount concern. For that reason, it would be inappropriate to comment publicly on any details.'

Six dead in San Diego plane crash as Cessna slams into ocean after pilot made haunting final call to air traffic control
Six dead in San Diego plane crash as Cessna slams into ocean after pilot made haunting final call to air traffic control

Scottish Sun

time18 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

Six dead in San Diego plane crash as Cessna slams into ocean after pilot made haunting final call to air traffic control

Crews struggled to find the wreckage after the plane went down CRASH HORROR Six dead in San Diego plane crash as Cessna slams into ocean after pilot made haunting final call to air traffic control Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SIX people have died after a plane slammed into the ocean off the coast of San Diego. The aircraft went down in 200 feet of water after taking off on Sunday afternoon. 1 Six people have died after a plane slammed into the ocean in San Diego The horror crash occurred near Point Loma, a peninsula in San Diego that juts into the Pacific. Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the plane was a twin-engine Cessna 414 carrying six people. The FAA said the plane took off from San Diego and was heading back to Phoenix, Arizona. The aircraft had reportedly flown to California just a day earlier. It went down around 12:30 pm on Sunday, according to officials. Search crews discovered a debris field about five miles offshore later that same day but continued to search for survivors. The FAA confirmed on Monday that no one survived the crash. So far, none of the six victims have been publicly identified. The pilot made a haunting final call to air traffic controllers before the crash. He said he was struggling to maintain his heading and climb as the aircraft turned toward the shore twice before going back out to sea. The plane was just 1,000 feet above the water when the controller urged the pilot to climb to 4,000 feet, KTAR reported. The water in that area is roughly 200 feet deep, the Coast Guard said. FAA records list the owner as Optimal Health Systems, a supplement company based in Pima, Arizona. But the company said it sold the plane to private buyers last year. The FAA database could be out of date, the company said in a statement. Doug Grant, the company's founder, said he personally knew several of the passengers on board. 'Our sincerest condolences are offered to those affected by the tragedy,' Grant said. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun

Holywell: Father Dominic Cawdell set for final service
Holywell: Father Dominic Cawdell set for final service

Leader Live

timea day ago

  • Leader Live

Holywell: Father Dominic Cawdell set for final service

Father Dominic Cawdell, as well as wardens and church officers, are among those set to leave the Holywell and Greenfield Churches community in coming weeks. Father Cawdell sent a letter of resignation as vicar of those areas to the Bishop of St. Asaph. He announced his decision during Sunday Eucharist services at St Peter's, Holywell, and Holy Trinity, Greenfield. A post, now deleted, from the Holywell and Greenfield Churches Facebook page stated that the 'situation has become toxic for everyone involved' and 'there seems to be no clear end in sight'. Father Cawdell has decided to step down for 'the sake of his physical and mental wellbeing'. TOP STORIES TODAY It has now been confirmed that he will take his last Sunday Service on June 29. A statement from Holywell and Greenfield Churches read: "It was announced today that Father Dominic's Last Sunday Service as Vicar of Holywell will be 11am on 29th June in St Peter's Church - followed by a Bring and Share Lunch." News of the vicar's departure has been met with disappointment from the community. Many people have described him as a 'wonderful man' and a number of fundraisers have also been set up to support him upon his departure. A spokesperson for the Diocese of St Asaph previously said: 'The Bishop and his senior staff have been engaged with a challenging and sensitive situation in the churches in Holywell and the Estuary and Mountain Mission Area for some time. "They continue to be committed to resolving the issues, with the wellbeing of all involved being the paramount concern. For that reason, it would be inappropriate to comment publicly on any details.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store