Residents take a Caribbean cookery class

Residents at The Foyer in Birmingham (one of our Supported Living Schemes) took part in a cookery class on Friday 15 October, as part of our Black History Month celebrations.

The 16 to 25-year-olds were given personalised invitations, which told the heart-warming story of a child growing up in the Caribbean and the historical significance behind the ‘Curried Chicken and Rice’ dish they were recreating.

A taste of history

Recipes like curried chicken and rice have been passed down from generation to generation. Many people have been taught by older family members how to cook tasty and filling meals on a budget. They were able to feed more people by using cheaper cuts of meat and fresh produce to bulk up the meal.

Cooking in the community

Chef Faith, who owns local Caribbean takeaway Eagles based in Smethwick, led the class and gave step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, season and cook the meal. The residents used authentic Caribbean ingredients and tailored the amount of spice to suit their own taste. 

Becoming independent

A valuable part of our Supported Living programme is to help customers to learn how to live independently. Learning how to cook is a key skill, as it helps residents to eat healthily whilst remaining in budget.

The informal session gave the group the chance to ask questions and pick up tips to apply whilst cooking alone. When asked how they'd found the session all of the participants agreed that they had really enjoyed it.

Reasons for taking part

Three of the attendees explained why they had signed up for the class:

Martin said that he took part to learn how to cook something different.

Callum had little experience in the kitchen and explained that he thought the experience would help him to gain new skills.

Shaniyah mentioned that she'd made it before but wanted to master her techniques and added that it tasted even better than last time.

Chef Faith also expressed how much she had enjoyed the lesson.

" To me Black History Month is not just a celebration for our fore parents who paved the way for us. It's also a chance for us to appreciate, recognise, acknowledge, respect and celebrate our culture. I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking session and I hope they will be able to implement some of my cooking styles. I know that cooking rice isn't easy, it takes a lot of practice but I'm confident that they'll all do well "

Celebrating in the community

This October, we're taking part in Black History Month to celebrate the impact and richness of black history within our communities. We've organised a range of events to allow our customers, communities and colleagues to celebrate together.

Click here to find out more about the events we have planned.