Families and young people joined a South Wight Area Youth Partnership (SWAY) zoom session last week and cooked cottage pie for the household to eat and enjoy as part of their pilot ‘Box Project’.
Lots of chat and banter was had as 8 families joined SWAY’s youth and families team on Friday night to create a healthy, tasty meal, from scratch, in just an hour.
The ingredients were very generously supplied by Tesco and the Co-op in Ventnor. The recipe was taken from the BBC programme ‘Eat Well for Less’ to ensure it was nutritious and economical. Some of those taking part had cooked before but for others, it was their first time.
SWAY’s box project is aimed at bringing people together, especially during periods of lockdown when groups cannot meet for their normal sessions. Many families are feeling anxious and do not get to see others living in rural areas where transport is expensive and not always available.
The ‘Box Project’ has been set up to overcome isolation and enable sharing in activities, encourage healthy and delicious foods on a budget and inspire creativity and artistic flair. Sponsorship to cover the materials and workers time is essential and SWAY would be keen to hear from anyone able to support the project.
Young people cooked with brothers or sisters or a parent. Everyone taking part was able to ask advice and share how it was going for them and admire their achievement. The atmosphere was relaxed and fun with talk about what to cook and make when the ‘Box Project’ gets underway in January through to March with a range of arts, craft and cookery.
For more information about the sessions and SWAY contact 01983 741192 or [email protected]. You can also visit https://www.southwightyouth.org.
