Young people in Whitehill & Bordon have been getting a taste for cooking through a new course being run in the town.
Eight budding chefs took the four-week course, run by the CM Foundation and supported by grants for local East Hampshire District Councillors.
Held at Café 1759 in June and July the youngsters were given all the ingredients they need to become confident and self-sufficient in the kitchen.
Sam Paulton, Manager of the CM Foundation, ran the event with John Brooks, Development Chef, from The Street Food Project. She said:
“The impact of the pandemic and the cost of living on young people has been huge for their personal, social and emotional development.
“By giving them basic cooking skills in an exciting and engaging way we are helping them to take a bit more control over their lives. They can help their parents prepare meals now and they will be able to eat healthily and affordably in the future.”
The course taught the basics of nutrition, how to use basic ingredients and how to use a cooker efficiently. It sign-posted families to support with energy costs and showed the children how to create home-made meals on a budget.
Two EHDC councillors supported the course with £671.35 grants from their councillor funds.
Cllr Sally Pond, EHDC Chairman and councillor for Whitehill Chase, said:
“Learning to cook is a basic and fundamental skill but so few young people have it these days.
“The street-cooking course has been a wonderful opportunity for a few lucky boys and girls to get a good grounding in how to prepare simple meals. It’s a skill that will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life and I am delighted to have been able to support the programme.”
Cllr Paul Wigman, EHDC Councillor for Whitehill Chase, said:
“What a wonderful scheme this was! I am thrilled to have been able to give them a grant to help get it off the ground.
“You could see the children were really enjoying the course and getting so much out of it too. Well done to Samantha and John for making it a big success.”