Food has long been used to show love. From family recipes to harvest festivals, sharing nature’s bounty together can be a lovely way to connect.
When we are apart we can still connect through food: homemade jams, chutneys and sweets through the post, or shared containers of soup or curry.
Bulk cooking can also improve sustainability and helps to save money as you only use the oven once. Why not share your batch cooking ideas with neighbours and friends? Connect to others using Facebook, Nextdoor App and Local Community Centres.
Food Sharers
As part of Wellingborough Eco Group, Food Sharers are focused on saving good food from going in the bin, and sharing food with people that want it. They’re not a food bank, they are purely a food reuse project that is open to anyone, and something that works for all ‘Food Sharers’ in the town that mutually benefits all organisations; and of course, benefitting people and planet too.
They share food on Tuesday afternoons in Glamis Hall’s Community Room between 2:00 and 6:00, with surplus food from Food Sharers, retailers, Redeem Funds and Glamis Hall. They usually have lots of fresh fruit and veg, bread and other treats plus, the kettle’s on too if you fancy a coffee or tea! Your donations will also be shared with sharers!
Food Sharers is a new sharing community, the aim is that it will evolve into a community fridge and food reuse café and it will include a food buying club for people to buy food in bulk from wholesalers. Wellingborough Eco Group and ‘Food Sharers’ are not, nor will ever be a food bank. Food Sharers is simply a food reuse project open to everyone.
Be a Food Sharer, share on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/foodsharer and at Glamis Hall’s Community Room, Tuesdays 2-6. Love food, hate waste, be a Food Sharer!
Food Recipes
Here are some simple comfort food recipes, whether caring for yourself or others, or cooking for a community event. Health conditions and disabilities may make cooking harder but using pre-prepared ingredients can reduce the effort required.
Porridge
Ingredients:
• 50g of oats per person
• 350ml water or milk per person
What to do:
• Pour milk of choice over oats. Either leave to soak overnight, then heat, or just simmer together, stirring regularly to avoid sticking.
• Add cardamom, ginger, mixed spice, mashed Fairtrade bananas or grated apple (or all of these) when cooking if you want to vary the flavour.
• Alternatively, use the instant microwave sachets, and cook for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.
TOP TIP! Top with honey, jam, maple syrup, fruit, nuts, seeds, cream or a sprinkle of salt or sugar. Porridge can be stored in a thermos for a simple snack to keep you going all day
Simple Soup
Ingredients:
- One bag chopped mixed fresh vegetables
- One stock cube
- Twice as much water as veg
- Tsp oil
- Tsp dried herbs
What to do:
- Heat pan. Add oil.
- Add bag of vegetables. Fry until soft.
- Add stock cube and water.
- Simmer.
- Blitz with stick blender.
TOP TIP! Like spicy food? Why not add some chilli puree, garlic puree and crushed ginger to taste?
Simple Vegetable Stew
Ingredients:
- One bag chopped casserole vegetables
- One stock cube
- Water (twice as much water as veg)
- Tablespoon of oil
- Tablespoon of dried herbs
What to do:
- Heat pan. Add oil.
- Add bag of vegetables. Fry until soft.
- Add stock cube, herbs and water.
- Simmer.
Miso Noodles
Ingredients:
- One sachet instant Miso, or a few spoons of miso from a jar
- One packet stir fry vegetables
- One cube frozen crushed ginger
- Garlic puree
- Chilli puree
- One packet noodles
- Water
What to do:
- Make miso by adding to water with ginger, garlic and chilli.
- Add packet of veg and noodles to miso.
- Simmer until veg and noodles are soft.
TOP TIP! Fancy a variation on your typical noodle recipe? Try Jar noodles here – https://www.coop.co.uk/recipes/jar-noodles
Cheat’s Curry
Ingredients:
- Frozen onions
- Frozen sweet potato
- Tin of chickpeas
- Curry sauce of choice
What to do:
- Fry the onions and sweet potato until soft.
- Add drained chickpeas and stir.
- Add sauce and simmer until thoroughly heated
- Serve with microwave rice
Simple Sponge
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- Flour
- Sugar
- Butter or vegan spread
What to do:
- Weigh your eggs.
- Weigh equal amounts of flour, butter and sugar.
- Cream together butter and sugar.
- Beat in eggs. Fold in flour. Pour into cake tin.
- Bake at 170c until a skewer comes out clean when you pierce the centre of the cake.
- Cut in half when cool and sandwich together with jam.
TOP TIP! You can also add a grated apple or mashed Fairtrade banana to mix things up and make the cake a little healthier.
Fairtrade Banana Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1 mug of flour
- 1 mug of milk
- 1 mug of egg
- 1-2 mashed pancakes
What to do:
- Beat all the ingredients together and refrigerate for an hour
- Fry ladles full of mix for American style pancakes
TOP TIP! Sweet tooth? Add Fairtrade chocolate or honey
Fairtrade Banana and Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
- 170g (6oz) Fairtrade Soft Brown Sugar
- 113g (4oz) Soft Margarine
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 50g Fairtrade chocolate chips
- 2 Ripe Fairtrade Bananas, sliced
- 225g (8oz) Fairtrade Self Raising Flour
What to do:
- Heat the oven, gas mark 3, fan oven 160c
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Using an electric hand whisk, beat gently together for about 1 minute until everything is combined.
- Pour into a lined, 2lb loaf tin and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours.
- Test with a skewer, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.
- The cake can be made in two lined 1lb loaf tins but will require less cooking time.
- Leave in the tin to cool. Turn out onto a cooling rack.
Quick Ginger Cordial
Ingredients:
- Frozen crushed ginger ice cube
- Honey to taste
- Lemon juice to taste
What to do:
- Add to a mug
- Pour over boiling water and stir well
- Drink hot or leave cool
Quick Lemon Squash
Ingredients:
- Honey to taste
- Lemon juice to taste
What to do:
- Add to a mug
- Pour over boiling water and stir well
- Drink hot or leave cool