News from TheJoyofFoodisfundedbytheLotteryWellbeingFund,andhostedbyNHSNorfolkThemainambitionoftheprojectistoworkwithyoungpeopleandyoungparentstoincreasetheirknowledgeoffood,toteachthemskillsinpreparationandcooking,andtoraiseawarenessofthesocialpleasureoffood.Wideningfoodhorizonsthroughthisworkhasshowntoencouragemorebalanceddiets,andtoincreasefruitandvegetableconsumption. Itformspartofawidercommitmenttoreducethelevelsofchildhoodobesity,byworkinginpartnershipwithotherservicestosupportimprovedfoodchoicesandprovidestrainingprogrammesincommunitysettingsaroundfoodsklls.Thesessionsarefree,andaJoyofFoodprogrammeconsistsof4xthree-hourcookandeatsessions,whicharedeliveredbytrainedfoodandcookingenthusiastsknownasJoyofFoodTrainers. Issue1November2009WearedoinganotherroundofJoyofFoodTrainertraininginJanuary… Itisafreetrainingprogramme,andidealforanyonewhoisabletocommit5-6hoursaweekeitherasavolunteerwiththeproject,orforfrontlineworkerswhowanttodopracticalfoodsessionswiththeirclients.Trainersneedtobepassionateaboutfoodandknowledgeableaboutcookingtobesuccessful! Trainingcovers:Managinggroupcookingsessions|KeyNutritionMessages| Resources|FoodHygiene|HealthandSafety|Programmedelivery|Tips&RecipesDatesfortrainingare: January6th,13th14thand19th.NorthLynnCommunityCentre. Formoreinfoortoregister,pleasecontacttheprojectbeforeChristmason01603257219,oremailjoyoffood@norfolk.nhs.ukWeworkwithawiderangeofagenciesandgroupstoteachfoodandcookingskillsWearealwaysinterestedinhearingfromorganisationsoragenciesthtworkwithyoungpeopleorparentstoidentifywaysthatwecansupportyourwork. We’dreallyliketohearfromtheChildrensCentresandLeavingCareteamsthatwehaven’tworkedwithyet.Pleasegetintouchonthecontactdetailsbelow! What some of our Learners have said about the Joy of Food … “I’ve learnt so much, and my little boy is eating and asking for vegetables! It was the best thing I have done, the teacher was very kind and caring. Please do it again, I would love to cook again and learn more! I really enjoyed the course and learnt that home cooking is easier than I thought, also cheaper and tastes nicer. I feel more confident about cooking for my family It shows how easy and fun cooking can be Cooking is really easy! Now I can cook simple things especially for my kids. The Joy of Food helps you cook healthier and feel more confident when cooking Really fun, useful to learn new skills and I feel proud cooking from scratch. You learn a lot and it is different from school. It’s really good for people who have no idea about cooking while living in a hostel on a budget. It is easy to cook once you know how! I can’t believe how much money I’ve saved, just by writing a list – I love it!” and some feedback from people who did the programme 4-6 months ago … I’m still doing some cooking since I did the course. I really like it, but I wouldn’t have thought I would. My kids really like the pot noodle, and I put loads of different things in it, so it’s always different It’s not so much that we always eat healthier now, but at least I know when we’re not eating that healthy and can do something about it the next day Doing our own cooking has saved me loads of money, and we eat healthier now, definitely. I’m really pleased I did it Very informal which was nice but still safe. Wrote to Head office as really enjoyed it and complimenting trainer Alex. Cook what did on course and use the recipe book which uses food you already have in cupboard. Use more ingredients and now use garlic. More adventurous like make my own custard. Make my own cheese sauce now. Even my mum loves the noodles and I also cook the chicken nuggets. The long-suffering Mr Jones, project administrator, who has to deal with all the receipts, us and the project paperwork! “Coordinating the learner groups, trainers’ availability, venues and learner support can be a real challenge! But seeing what a positive impact learning to cook has on individual’s lives makes all the hassle worthwhile!” Mary Iginla Project Coordinator Who are our Trainers? Trainers are volunteers who have a passion and enthusiasm for food and cooking. Some of them are already working with young people or parents, some come from farming backgrounds, and some are trained chefs. They are as varied as the food choices we all have available to us, but they are all passionate about food, and knowledgeable about cooking, and we couldn’t do this without them! What some of the Trainers have told us … I decided to join the programme as I think it is fantastic and teaches very necessary skills to those who for whatever reason cannot access them….The programme is very good, easy to follow and the recipes well chosen for demonstration and for young people to learn and taste! Lisa JoF Trainer I have a long standing interest in the links between food & health. I work for Family Action, a Family Support Service based in Swaffham, and for some time we have been looking to add healthy eating / cook & eat sessions to our wide range of services….Joy of Food fitted the bill & I volunteered to become a trainer…. To date, I have delivered one full Joy of Food course & a couple of taster sessions which I have thoroughly enjoyed. From the feedback I have received, the ‘trainees’ have enjoyed themselves too and several of the recipes have become favourites with their families – especially the Chicken Pot Noodle! Barbara JoF Trainer …it's great to see the learner’s faces when they see for themselves that they really can cook, and the pride they have in themselves! Emma JoF Trainer The Homemade Pot Noodle and Rice’n’Easy – two of the Joy of Food’s one pot favourites that anyone could make. Quick, easy, tasty and cheap (oh! and they’re pretty healthy too!) Teaching cooking and food skills and can be a vital tool in supporting individuals to make changes in their day to day eating habits. It also has a positive impact on self esteem and confidence, and can support numeracy and literacy agendas. Without these basic skills, it is very difficult to eat well on a limited income. Where we’ve been and what we’ve been doing! Community events are always better attended when food is on offer. If the food provides a positive experience of healthier choices, so much the better. On a Joy of Food stand no-one can just eat and walk though. Helping people to think about what they eat is one of the first steps to changing behaviours around food choices. Having a new food experience helps to change attitudes and break down barriers to thinking about making small changes. But while we try not to bully people, sometimes we need to be very good sales people Preparing Norfolk’s 1st year University students for their new student life Sometimeswethinkitisjustyoungpeoplein deprived areas who need help with food skills. We learned at this event how wrong that assumption is! All of these young people were off to Uni the following week, and their lack of knowledge surprised us all. But they were eager learners, and we hope they will be giving us some good feedback about what they used from the training session when they come home at the end of their first term. CheesySardineDipwithveggiesticksnearlyalwaysprovespopular–despitesomeadults’ideas. Childrenwilloftenlikesomethingtheirparentswouldn’tdreamofeating! CheesySardineDipwithveggiesticksnearlyalwaysprovespopular–despitesomeadults’ideas. Childrenwilloftenlikesomethingtheirparentswouldn’tdreamofeating! 50g low fat cream cheese | 1 tin sardines in tomato sauce | mash together | eat with celery, cucumber, carrot or pepper sticks | or spread on toast| easy! Understanding and using food labels is a real challenge for many people. Stands at events with practical food activities, and tasting are a great way to improve understanding and awareness. Using real life, recognised, labels to show how to make comparisons between products is very helpful for people. We answer a whole range of questions about food during an event, and ask a lot of questions too! Here at the Spring Fling at the Norfolk Showground (an annual event promoting food, farming and the countryside), we are promoting: Change4Life 8 behaviours Top tips for top kids (www.nhs.uk/Change4Life ) Food Standards Agency’s Saturated Fat and Salt campaigns ( www.eatwell.gov.uk ) as well as 5 A DAY (www.5aday.nhs.uk ) Practical food and health stands and activities is hard work for all concerned. Planning, shopping, cooking, loading vehicles, setting up, manning the event, clearing down, clearing up and loading cars just to unload them again at the other end, probably washing up and packing away afterwards makes it a long day. Photos often only get taken just before the start, before the crowds start! We couldn’t do events like this without significant support from volunteers and colleagues. T TTTTh hhhha aaaan nnnnk kkkky yyyyo oooou uuuut tttto ooooa aaaal lllll llllo oooof ffffy yyyyo oooou uuuu– –––– y yyyyo oooou uuuuk kkkkn nnnno oooow wwwww wwwwh hhhho ooooy yyyyo oooou uuuua aaaar rrrre eeee! !!!! and T TTTTh hhhhe eeeeJ JJJJo ooooy yyyyo oooof ffffF FFFFo ooooo ooood dddd! Working at big events with related partners in the food agenda is crucial for joining up our key messages for the public. The Joy of Food joined Norfolk’s top chefs on the listings in the Food Festival cookery theatre, and on stage in the cookery theatre at the Norfolk Show this year. Eat Well Live Well Event where we launched Norfolk’s Change4Life Cook4 Life sub-brand as part of the Norfolk wide Food Festival. We made 356 omelettes, and spread the Joy of Food message with even more people. We promoted hand-washing with the local environmental team, and shared a marquee with National Trust gardeners who shared their tips on growing your own vegetables. In the Forum a range of stands shared knowledge, skills and information about eating healthier, more balanced, local and varied diets. Advice was on hand from Trading Standards to make more sense of food labels when looking for salt. Norse, who make many of the lunches in Norfolk’s schools showed visitors how much of school food comes from Norfolk, and anyone looking for advice on weight loss for themselves or their children could speak to an expert. We’re part of Thetford Healthy Town too EveryJoyofFoodLearnerreceivesacertificateandacopyofTheJoyofFood’sRecipeBook,packedwitheasyideasforthemtocontinuecookingforthemselveswith. Ithasalsobeenavailabletobuyatevents, andhasbeenverywellreceivedbypeoplefromallagegroups. Alltherecipesrepresentgoodbalancedfood,areeasytomake,anduseeasilyaccessibleinexpensiveingredients. Thisisveryimportantaswestrivetoreducetheinequalitiesaroundfoodchoices. phone 01842 768305 for more information Some of our success stories… “One of Jo's previous learners has gone on to college to do Hospitality and Catering. Please let her know, Jo inspired her tremendously.” “One of our mothers has so taken on board what she’s learned with The Joy of Food that she is cooking regularly, is so much more confident, and involving all of her friends in what she is doing differently, which has helped us to encourage more people to do the programme, and use it as a reminder of key messages about healthy eating” “Tina the Children’s Centre Cook and Jean Hall a Centre Project Worker started rolling out the ‘Joy of Food’ courses to parents in March 09. The courses are held in the kitchen at the Children’s Centre. Unfortunately the kitchen can only hold a small number of parents at one time. However, this can also been seen as a positive as Tina and Jean can have more time to support individuals. Parents attend the four week programme in a view to learn how to put together simple nutritious meals for their families. While doing this they are also improving their diet and general overall health. Tina and Jean have adapted the course to suit their Childrens Centre. A crèche is provided for the children while their parents try out their new cooking skills. For the first three weeks the parents take home the tasters they have cooked, then on the final session the parents put together a meal of their choice and the children join them at the centre for lunch altogether. Although numbers have not been high, the Children’s Centre feel it has been very positive experience. We also have a waiting list of parents and will be rolling out more sessions in the New Year” “Its been absolutely fantastic having the Joy of Food here, not just because they’ve learned about food and cooking, but because its helped them form more of a social group amongst themselves, which is great for the whole hostel.” The first session is the most important. But life can sometimes get in the way of finishing a programme. It can be very disappointing for trainers and facilitators, but often someone new arrives instead. Making food more important in sometimes chaotic lives can build confidence and structure, even if it doesn’t guarantee a healthier diet. Learning how to make a tomato sauce is more than eating 5 ADAY with The Joy of Food! Managing a project like The Joy of Food certainly keeps me busy. But reading the comments and feedback from individuals who have had the opportunity to learn some useful skills to help them choose to eat a healthier diet makes it really rewarding. Making room for this important work is not always easy for health and social care professionals to find time for. The Joy of Food was developed to support them and their work. Mainstreaming it is another challenge altogether! But it is only through this type of work that we can really have an impact on what individuals choose to put on their plates, and in their mouths. Until we have given people the skills to make those choices our work is not done! CarolineSeamanFoodandNutritionLeadNHSNorfolk,andprojectmanagerofTheJoyofFood Theprogrammeis4x3hoursessions,usuallyover4weeks. Eachsessionendswithsocialeatingandsharingofthefoodthat’sbeenmade. Session1&2arefixed.Learnerschoosewhattheycookforthefinal2sessions,usingtherecipebooktochoosefrom1.Onepotmealsandknifeskills2.Saucesandsoups3.Omelettesandgroupchoice4.TrainerschoiceofdemonstrationandafinalmealAlllearnersareexpectedtoclearup,wipedownandwashup. Learningthatitisallpartoftheprocess,andlearninghowtomakeiteasyforthemisausefullifeskill. Eachsessionhasgotspecificdiscussionpoints,butitismeanttobealightheartedandinformalsession,toencouragethesocialpleasureoffoodaswellasitshealthbenefits. Favouriterecipesmadeduringsessions… HomemadePotNoodleRice‘n’EasyStirfriesTinnedmackerelpastabakeHomemadechickennuggetsChunkytomatosauceFruitspongepuddingHomemadeburgers&wedgesBreadOmelettesSoupsCurriesandchilliesCouscous ishostedby Thankyou!