Slow cookers up for grabs in bid for better lockdown grub
MONICA SETS UP FREE ONLINE SESSIONS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET COOKING
A LEADING member of the black community in Burton has set up free online cooking sessions to encourage more people to make meals for themselves during lockdown – and there’s the chance to get a new slow cooker.
Monica Holton, founder of the Loveinspire Foundation, a crisis prevention charity set up in 2015, will be hosting the #whatscooking events funded by the National Lottery Fund via Zoom and Monica says there has already been a lot of interest shown by people from the Burton community.
The Loveinspire Foundation supports people by providing families with food parcels, school uniforms for families who struggle to afford them and a crisis prevention helpline for private support.
For those signing up there will also be a chance to win a slow cooker to help with preparing new recipes after 50 brand new slow cookers were donated to the charity by an anonymous donor.
The event will include appearances by chefs and cooks from the Burton area who will be demonstrating their skills and going through a host of recipes and offering tips for making a healthy, nutritional and cost effective meals.
Ms Holton, 50, said: “The event is based on getting people back into the habit of cooking at home, cooking on a budget and spending time with family in the kitchen.
“The #whatscooking event will be the first in a series of many community events we hope to launch thanks to the National Lottery Fund.
“When I put the idea on social media the response was very good and with more people spending more time at home and the option of eating out limited, it’s a good time to get started.
“We hope to invite chefs and cooks from different backgrounds to make it a real community event, and hopefully help each other learn different cuisines and cooking ideas.”
Registration started last week and the first session will be held today, with others to follow.
The sessions will be prerecorded and available via Zoom for those who are registered at their convenience.
She added: “The aim is to engage with one another, use the skills gained and keep highlighting that community spirit.
“The slow cookers will be distributed to families on a lower income, on a first come first serve basis, and they will have to meet a criteria to be eligible but we welcome everyone to sign up and use the sessions as an informative way of enhancing their cooking skills.”
If you are interested and would like to join the events, you can register by calling Monica Holton on 07838 516607.