Basics of baking are back
A Pukekohe cooking class is stretching both the cooking and budgeting skills of locals.
Budget Buddies offers cooking classes and budgeting advice for the community and is held at Puna O Te Ora in Pukekohe.
The six-week course is run by Helen Pullman, who offers it throughout the year.
There were a lot of men and women who didn’t know the basics of cooking, Pullman said
‘‘Now when they’ve got a family they’ve got to get a meal of some sort.’’
Rosalie Bromwich helps Pullman to run the cooking segment of the course - and students learn how to cook many variants of one recipe.
‘‘I love baking and I love teaching like Helen does - teaching the basics.
‘‘Girls now and particularly boys do not get taught the basics of cooking, sewing or basic medical knowledge.’’
The course uses donated ingredients and this teaches students how to be versatile cooks, Bromwich said. ‘‘We get a lot bread, so the first couple of sessions we cooked bread recipes - bread roll ups, bread and butter pudding.’’
The budgeting aspect of the course was also empowering, Bromwich said.
‘‘I’ve been with Helen when she’s been doing the budgeting course and it’s fabulous.’’
Bromwich often found Work and Income budgeting seminars she attended in the past quite daunting.
‘‘It made you embarrassed, you felt like you were incapable of putting your life and family together.’’