Jamie's Ministry of Food Bradford currenty offers 15 classes each week in addition to outreach work for the community.

As part of our work with Jamie's Ministry of Food Bradford, we have been working with the year 5 and 6 children at Menston Primary School, a school in the local area. Part of their curriculum this term has been focused around healthy eating and we have been able to conduct three outreach sessions to allow the children to get hands on and have a go at making a variety of Jamie's homemade soups. Each week approximately 30 children in each class have been split in to 6 separate groups. So far, they have enjoyed making leek and potato, lentil and spinach and tomato soup. At the end of the session, the children also get to taste each type of soup and take the recipes home. The children clearly love to cook and feel such a sense of achievement when they see their very own pot of soup bubbling away with it's fabulous aroma. Many of the children said they were surprised how easy it actually was to make the soup and others realized that they really loved the taste of ingredients such as leeks and spinach that they initially had rejected. Their homework has been to follow their cooking session through by choosing a soup and cooking it at home with the help of their parents. The following week when I returned to the school, a number of parents approached me and said just how much they had enjoyed cooking soup with their child and how it had been a lovely recipe enjoyed by the whole family. I love hearing such positive feedback and it makes my job so worthwhile.

Our second piece of news is that our Stroke Association group recently 'graduated' from their 10 week cooking course here at Bradford. During our sessions we have cooked our way around the world - with curry, stir fries, pasta and Moroccan dishes. These five individuals are all on their separate journey of recovering from stroke. Overcoming their physical limitations, they have challenged themselves in the most inspiring way to relearn their skills in the kitchen. Even the process of breaking a couple of eggs has proven to be a major mile stone for some. One woman was described by her husband as being "back to her best" when she cooked up Jamie's fabulous Toad in the Hole. For another woman, this has been the first time she has cooked on a hob in over 5 years as she has relied on her microwave since suffering from her stroke. Rachel has enjoyed every minute of the course and has truly rediscovered her passion for food and cooking.

These are just two stories which highlight the active role in the community which the Bradford Ministry of Food performs.....there are new stories happening each day.

About the author: Lisa McLoughlin is a Food Officer at Jamie's Ministry of Food Bradford