School Holidays can be a fraught time for parents, which is why Halifax Opportunities Trust ran a pilot scheme during the recent Easter break offering free cooking classes for families at our community garden, The Outback.
The classes were a chance for families to come together and cook healthy, tasty meals together with the added bonus that everything cooked was shared as part of a delicious lunch and participants left with recipes cards for the meals so they could be recreated at home.
14 families took part in the pilot across three days which included 37 children aged from 5 months to 13 years old. The Holiday Kitchen was organised as part of Halifax Opportunities Trust’s commitment to promoting health and wellbeing and supporting families. Organiser, Sarah Waddington, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with the response to this pilot, so many families have attended and it’s been great to see everyone getting stuck in with the cooking. The scheme fits really well with everything we’re trying to promote here at The Outback and we hope to continue the classes in future holidays.” One of the mums attending commented: “Kids loved it as they made it themselves with the guidance of the staff. The result was tasty and healthy.”
The Outback is a unique community kitchen and garden based in the heart of the Park Ward community, directly behind Jubilee Children’s Centre. The 1 hectare site runs on organic and sustainable principles and the thriving garden is packed full of herbs, fruit and vegetables. There are lots of interesting areas for visitors to explore and learn more about the natural environment whilst the straw bale kitchen provides a perfect space for the local community to gather and cook food.
For more information about The Outback contact Sarah Waddington on 01422 342552.