We're hiring!
New role: Managing Director (Fixed Term Maternity Cover, Part time)
Our Managing Director goes on maternity leave in early December and we need an interim Managing Director to help guide Square Food Foundation as it continues its growth. Some day-to-day operational tasks will be taken on by existing team members, leaving the role holder to focus on leadership and strategic responsibilities in close collaboration with our Founding Director, Barny Haughton MBE.
Please click here to download the full job description and for details on how to apply
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: MONDAY 4th SEPTEMBER
Trust funds Food Leaders programme to help tackle food insecurity
Bristol charities collaborate to deliver groundbreaking new food and cooking course to improve health for people with disabilities.
Square Food Foundation, Brandon Trust and Milestones Trust have joined forces to deliver the first in a series of innovative new food and cookery courses that aim to improve diet and health of people with disabilities by instilling the principles of healthy eating, providing simple food preparation skills and supporting learners to make the connection between what they eat and their physical and mental health.
Supported by NHS Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (BNSSG CCG), this new ‘Healthy Me’ course stands out from others that have gone before by working with people with disabilities and the people responsible for their care to ensure that everyone involved in daily meal planning, shopping and cooking has the same understanding of what is a healthy diet and has learned the same skills in order to achieve it.
Poor diet is associated with negative health outcomes and this is especially evident among people with disabilities. 60% of people with learning disabilities (LD) are constipated compared to 10% of people without LD, and 80 of 100 people with learning disabilities had constipation as a factor in their death.
Rosi Shepherd, Director of Nursing at BNSSG CCG said:
“Maintaining a balanced diet may seem straightforward for many of us, but a lack of knowledge on how to cook and eat healthily for people with learning disabilities does have a negative impact on the risk of long-term health conditions and shortens life expectancy.
“This new initiative provides hands-on, simple steps to make healthy eating more enjoyable and part of an every-day routine for people with learning disabilities and their carers. We’re really excited to see this innovative new programme develop and benefit the lives of local people.”
Delivered by Square Food Foundation cookery school from its teaching kitchen in Knowle West, the Healthy Me course starts 6th May and runs once a week for 12 weeks. Each programme will have space for 12 learners - six supported people and their support workers.
Learners will work together to cook a range of healthy dishes with a focus on fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and fibre. Along the way, they’ll gain practical and planning skills and key nutritional knowledge about maintaining a healthy diet. Session topics will include knife skills, healthier baking, cooking with spices and breakfast ideas, among others. At the end of every session, learners will take home a DIY recipe kit - with all the ingredients and instructions they need to cook a dish from scratch at home.
Square Food Foundation Founder and cookery teacher, Barny Haughton said:
“We know that people with disabilities are more at risk from poor health outcomes linked to diet, and that they often depend on other people for their shopping and cooking. By equipping people with LD and those that support them in their everyday lives with exactly the same skills and knowledge, we’re removing a barrier to better health.”
Lisa Bayley, Head of Learning at Milestones Trust said:
“We know from our own work that the food people eat impacts both their physical and mental health. So, we’re excited to continue our journey with Square Food Foundation, supporting people with learning disabilities with healthy choices. Not only are the recipes nutritious, accessible and affordable, but the classes are also about having fun. Now the pandemic is easing, it’s important that the people we support feel able to get back out into the community again, connecting with other people.”
James Densley, Area Manager for Brandon Trust said:
“People with a learning disability face significant health inequalities throughout their lives, leading to serious consequences for their mental and physical wellbeing. Food and nutrition is a key factor, with research showing that less than 10% of adults living in supported accommodation eat a balanced diet. We’re delighted to be working with the Square Food Foundation on this brilliant initiative to equip people we support with the skills and knowledge they need to be able to cook and eat well. We think the course is going to be incredibly valuable for everyone taking part and can’t wait to see the positive impact it has.”
For more information on Healthy Me, visit www.squarefoodfoundation.co.uk/healthy-me
The course starts on Friday 6th May and runs weekly for 12 weeks.
www.squarefoodfoundation.co.uk
www.brandontrust.org
www.milestonestrust.org.uk
https://bnssgccg.nhs.uk/
Between the Mountains and the Sea: Support Square Food Foundation when you book a place on this unique and wonderful trip.
This May, head to Italy’s Abruzzo for a week-long immersion in all things food and cooking.
Organised and hosted by the team at the magical Casa del Colle, Between the Mountains and the Sea is a unique way to experience an Italian food tradition and the landscape which has shaped it. All profits from the trip will fund Square Food Foundation’s food education projects in Bristol’s schools and community.
This culinary and cultural adventure will involve cooking, markets, wonderful restaurants, walking in the hills with a shepherd, a little foraging, an Abruzzese BBQ, beautiful churches, wine, olive oil, cheese…. All in the company of your host Stephen - and two professional and passionate chefs who have only just recently fallen in love with this amazing and very different part of Italy.
Dates
Week 1: May 4 - 11, 2022 - Fully booked!
Week 2: May 13 – 20, 2022. Fully booked!
A bit about what the trip involves
This is your time, to spend as you like. Choose to take part in every activity or simply sit by the pool or walk in the hills. Below is an idea of the kind of thing you can expect:
Tasting traditional Abruzzese dishes and wines in local restaurants
Visiting markets, including Pescara fish market to buy wonderful ingredients to cook with
Taking a trip up into the Gran Sasso mountains and a place of ancient pasturelands near the summit
Visiting Danielle D’Agostini’s farm to see how their legendary sheep’s milk cheese is produced
A visit to a medieval mountain village and a 10th century fortress, the highest in the Apennines
Relaxed and entertaining cookery sessions with Barny and Rosie
Time to do nothing or sleep or swim or go for a solitary walk in the hills
Costs
£1475 per person
Flights, transfers and all transport during your stay
Full board
Lovely accommodation based on shared occupancy of double room
Two dedicated chefs with you for the week
All profits support Square Food Foundation’ s food education programmes
What’s not included
Single room supplement
Insurance
Items of personal nature such as telephone calls or gifts to bring back
Where you’ll stay
Accommodation is at Casa del Colle, a large, comfortable and newly renovated, architect-designed villa with incredible panoramic views that encompass both the massive Gran Sasso mountains, that loom 10,000 feet up over the villa, and the sea. Casa del Colle is set in its own grounds of 2.5 acres with space to relax either inside or outside by the large salt water pool.
A bit about your hosts
Stephen Hughes owns and manages Casa del Colle. He splits his time between Bristol and Italy (usually to coincide with the olive harvest).
As well as Steven, You’ll spend the week shopping, cooking and learning from Square Food Founder, Barny Haughton and professional chef and food writer, Rosie Sykes.
A bit about Abruzzo
Arriving in the Abruzzo region for the first time, you might think you were somewhere other than Italy. Separated from the rest of the country by the Apennine mountains, it was not until the 1960s and the building of tunnels connecting the region with Rome and Bologna, that people began to travel there at all. Its economy remains almost entirely agricultural and self-sufficient, geographically defined by the borders of the Gran Sasso, the highest part of the Apennines on one side and the Adriatic sea on the other. Small wonder that Abruzzese food traditions are a reflection of its landscape as well as its people and that, more than any other part of Italy, it has retained its links to traditional produce and cultures.
Abruzzo is home to a rich diversity of products and ingredients, unique to the region and all with a story. Some 17 of them, from cheese and apples to lentils and olive oil, are part of the Slow Food Ark of Taste (link) – a measure of their global significance in the world of food traditions .
Abruzzo is also recognised as the greenest region in Europe as almost half of its territory, the largest in Europe, is set aside as national parks and protected nature reserves. These ensure the survival of 75% of Europe's living species, including rare species such as the small wading dotterel, the golden eagle, the Abruzzese chamois, the Apennine wolf and the Marsican brown bear.
Peach Cobbler - a recipe for Summer
This is a baked fruit pudding with a dough topping. It is a perfect summertime dessert.
Ingredients
500g peaches
Juice 1 lemon
4tbsp caster sugar
1tbsp plain flour
For the cobbler topping
150g plain flour
Pinch salt
2tsp baking powder
1 gently heaped tbsp caster sugar plus extra for sprinkling
80g butter - cold
142ml soured cream
What to do:
Heat oven to 180C oven/160C fan/gas 4.
For the cobbler topping, chop the butter into cubes and rub it into the flour and baking powder with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs then add in the sugar. It is much easier if the butter is cold when you do this. Put to one side.
Cut the peaches in half and remove the stone. Place the fruit into the ovenproof dish. Pour over the lemon juice and then the sugar and flour and mix. It will look a bit messy.
Mix the soured cream into the cobbler topping mixture. This will make a soft dough. Break off walnut/golf ball-sized pieces and flatten them lightly. Lay them on top of the fruit. Dust with sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25minutes, until the cobbler is golden and the fruit is bubbling. Serve with custard or cream.
Enjoy 😊
From today, all donations will be DOUBLED!
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The #SquareMeals Service comes to an end...
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Covid-19 statement - Making Square Food safe
We want our students, staff and volunteers to feel confident about coming to a class at Square Food Foundation, and safe when they’re here. We’ve spent the last few weeks reviewing our ways of working and putting in place systems and infrastructure to ensure our kitchen is a safe and welcoming space.
Before arriving at Square Food Foundation
Students, volunteers and staff will receive pre-session advice advising them:
• NOT to attend if they are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms or have been in contact with a person who has had Covid-19 symptoms in the last 14 days. If this is the case, we’ll transfer your booking to a new date.
• To limit the number of personal possessions they bring to avoid contact with cupboards/hanging areas
• To bring their own containers for taking food home
To check in by scanning the QR code displayed on posters around the kitchen.
On Arrival
Learners will be encouraged:
• To sanitise their hands before entering (hand sanitiser will be provided at the door)
• Observe social distancing wherever possible.
• Wear a face covering.
During the class
• Square Food teachers will provide a full briefing to students at the start of every class and information on hygiene will be clearly displayed and embedded in the teaching, including effective handwashing and social distancing reminders.
• Square Food staff form a ‘bubble’ and due to hygiene and social distancing measures will not be required to wear a face covering. Square Food staff will wear visors when social distancing is not possible, to ensure we can support students whenever they need advice or help.
At the end of the class, students will be asked to
• Decant any food into their own containers to take home.
• Wash their hands as they leave the kitchen, one at a time, through the garden door.
Toilets
Students are welcome to use the Park Centre toilets and sanitise their hands on their return to the kitchen.
Refreshments
• If you’d like to drink tea or coffee during the class, please bring a flask with you, to minimise contact.
• Eating together is an enjoyable and valuable way to finish a class and we’ll continue to make this part of every session. Whilst we can’t sit together around the kitchen table, students will eat together at their own workstations.
Staff & Volunteers
Staff and volunteers will be given training and support to ensure all systems and measures are correctly implemented. Staff and volunteers will be made aware that that there will be no repercussions of staying home if they are experiencing symptoms, have come into contact with someone experiencing symptoms or if needing to quarantine following a trip abroad.
What happens if a student, volunteer or staff member at Square Food Foundation tests positive for Covid-19?
Confirmed cases will be managed by referral to the South-West local Health Protection Team (SW Centre HPT (Bristol), 2 Rivergate, Temple Quay, BS1 6EH, 03003038162), and their instructions followed
2+ cases may be considered an outbreak: in this case, Square Food Foundation will follow the advice of the Health Protection Team and take any measures they consider necessary.
#SquareMeals passes 20,000 meals, Healthy Holidays with Feeding Bristol & Barny on the BBC
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DIY Meal Kits Keep SFF's Teachers Connected with Bristol Families
Last weekend, we extended our daily free school meal replacement deliveries to include weekend DIY meal kits.
These simple kits contain all the ingredients needed to make a meal for a family of five. The inclusion of a fun cook-a-long video link, presented by a Square Food Foundation teacher, gets bored kids helping out in the kitchen and learning about healthy eating. An Easter weekend test run had participant children preparing veg, making fresh pasta ribbons and simmering tomato sauce.
The new DIY meal kit initiative complements our #SquareMeals deliveries. During the Covid-19 school closures, we’ve prepared more than 2500 healthy and delicious meals for some of Bristol’s most vulnerable children and families.
#SquareMeals reaches children and families who rely on Free School Meals to guard their children against food poverty and hunger. The new DIY meal kit scheme provides these same families with an extra meal over the weekend as well as a fun, inclusive activity for children and parents who are stuck indoors.
Watch SFF’s cookalong videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9jUtR0ZWnkMOdhbKjBXe9Q
We need to raise £70,000 to continue this service until the end of August. To date, we’ve raised more than £30,000 thanks to donations from you, our friends and supporters as well as corporate gifts and small grants. Now, we’ve secured match-funding to DOUBLE all donations up to £10,000. Thanks to a gift from some generous Square Food supporters (who wish to remain anonymous), every donation made to the appeal (up to the value of £10,000) will be matched.
Give today and help Square Food continue the service for as long as it’s needed.
Keeping Bristol's most vulnerable families from going hungry
How has Square Food been affected by Covid-19?
Like every small business, registered charity and social enterprise across the UK, it's been a tough week. As schools prepare to close and social distancing is advised, we can't continue to deliver cookery classes and workshops as normal.
We've been in touch with those students that attend our weekly workshops as well as those that have booked a masterclass or team-building event over the next few months. We're so grateful to all those who've chosen to reschedule but equally respect that circumstances may require us to refund payment. Please get in touch with any questions or concerns.
What we're doing now
The challenge we're facing is huge. But there are thousands of people for whom this could become a matter of survival.
From next week, we are re-purposing our kitchen to produce free, delicious and healthy meals for local children and families, specifically those that rely on Free School Meals. We hope to extend this service to older people and other groups at risk of loneliness, homelessness and poor health.
We must work together to support those that are most in need AND ensure the services that Square Food offers remain available now and in the future.
How are we doing it?
The Square Food kitchen team including some of our amazing volunteers will work in shifts to produce meals to distribute to families at local primary school, Oasis Academy Connaught.
We'll work safely and hygienically, in line with public health guidance, limiting the number of people in the kitchen at once. We'll deliver meals in takeaway containers to reheat at home. All food will be labelled with ingredients, allergens and cooking instructions.
How you can help
We know that many of you - our friends, supporters and volunteers want to help in whatever way you can. Here are a few things you can do today to support Bristol's most vulnerable families and ensure the survival of Square Food Foundation.
Make a donation towards the cost of this vital work.
£7 could provide lunch for a family of five
£15 could feed a child one meal a day for two weeks
£30 could pay for a month of meals for one child
£50 would provide a week's worth of lunches for a family of five
Get your Christmas shopping done early! Click here to buy a Gift Voucher for one of our masterclasses or adults & kids workshops.
Book your Christmas Party at Square Food Foundation. We can accommodate teams of up to 16 adults for a fun, hands-on cookery workshop followed by lunch or dinner.
Spread the word. Use social media to let your friends and family what Square Food is doing and encourage them to get involved. Plus, we want to hear your ideas for other ways in which we can support Bristol.
Your support is more important now than ever before. Thank you!
Middle Eastern roasted root vegetables - a recipe for Veganuary
Middle Eastern style roast root vegetables
Serves 6
For the vegetables
You can use a mixture of the following vegetables, all chopped or broken (in the case of the cauliflower) into bite-sized pieces: cauliflower, carrot, sweet potato, celeriac, swede, parsnip. You should end up with 1.5k weight of the prepared mixture of vegetables.
In a small bowl, mix together the following:
2 tsp toasted and ground cumin seeds
2 tsp ground coriander seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp salt
Toss the vegetables in a little oil until each piece is lightly coated, add the above spices and roast them in a hot oven until brown but still almost crunchy – especially the cauliflower.
Tahini dressing
4 tbs tahini paste
juice 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic ground into a paste
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
cold water
4 tbs olive oil
In a bowl, mix the tahini paste, lemon juice and garlic together until well-combined. Add the cumin, salt and then enough water – perhaps 2 or 3 tablespoons – until you get a creamy but pourable texture. Add the olive oil and mix well.
Drizzle over the warm roasted vegetables and serve!
Winter in Italy - recipes for Christmas
Roast beetroot, ricotta, chicory, orange and hazelnut salad
If you can get hold of candied or yellow beetroot this will make this salad extra pretty. You will need a large platter to lay the chicory leaves out on (see below).
For 4 people
3 small beetroot
1 head chicory
1 tub ricotta
1 orange
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp hazelnuts
Olive oil
1 small bunch chives chopped
Wrap the unpeeled but clean beetroots in foil and bake until still firm but give just a little to pressure. This may take up to 1.5 hours at 180C. So, to make good use of the energy, you can do this stage well in advance and alongside other things you might be using the oven for – a casserole, baked potatoes, more beetroot, a tart… and certainly the hazelnuts which are best toasted in the oven.
Remove the skins from the toasted hazelnuts by rubbing them together in a clean tea towel. Chop or crush them coarsely.
Peel and cut the beetroot into 1 cm dice and put them in a bowl, add salt, pepper and the red wine vinegar, mix well.
Separate the leaves of chicory.
Segment the orange – no pith or pips. Cut the segments up into about 4 pieces each and put them along with the juice into a bowl to one side.
You are now ready to assemble the salad. Add the orange and juice to the beetroot and gently mix together. Into each chicory leaf, put an appropriately sized heap (i.e. not too much) of the beetroot mixture, add a blob of ricotta, a sprinkle of hazel nuts and chives and a drizzle of olive oil.
White bean purée Italian style
I usually make this delicious and simple dip on a large chopping board with a knife rather than in a food processor. It’s lovely watching it come together as you add the different ingredients. If you have all the ingredients ready, you can do the whole thing just before eating and leave it on the board for people to help themselves from. Very rustic, very Italian.
As a dip or starter serves 6 people
200g (net weight) butterbeans or cannelloni beans, cooked or tinned
Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste, freshly squeezed
6 cloves garlic, roasted, peeled and mashed
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp freshly ground cumin seeds
Approx. 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Small bunch mint or parsley leaves, chopped
Drain the butterbeans and, on a large chopping board, chop with a large knife then mash with a fork until evenly textured and smooth. Add the mashed garlic and mix well with the fork. Add the lemon juice, salt and cumin and mix well. Finally bind in the olive oil. It should be soft and creamy with just a bit of the beany texture still there.
Scatter with chopped mint or parsley.
Roast cauliflower, red onion and lemon
1 small cauliflower
2 red onions
1 lemon
½ tsp chilli flakes
Salt
Olive oil
Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
Break the cauliflower up into small fleurettes and cut the tender stalks into 2 cm pieces. Roughly dice the onion.
Cut two thumb sized strips of lemon peel and cut them into a fine dice.
Put the cauliflower, onion, lemon zest, chilli flakes and about ½ tsp salt in a bowl and mix together well. Add a generous slurp of olive oil, toss well and transfer to a roasting tray.
Roast for 25 minutes or until the cauliflower has taken a little colour and the onion is soft and caramelised. Serve warm.
A recipe for November...(or how to use up your pumpkin!)
Spiced pumpkin curry
Serves 6
1 small pumpkin (approx. 1.5kg)
4tbsp olive oil
2 tsp turmeric
2tsp fennel seeds (ground in a pestle and mortar)
2 onions finely sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 red peppers roughly chopped
2 tsp fenugreek
2 tsp coriander seeds (ground in a pestle and mortar)
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp freshly chopped ginger
1 finely chopped red chilli
2 tins tomatoes
2 bay leaves
big handful freshly chopped coriander
Pre-heat the oven to 190C. Peel and chop pumpkin and sprinkle with 2tbsp of the oil, salt, turmeric and fennel seeds and roast for 20-30 minutes until it has softened but still retains its shape. Heat the remaining 2tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and sweat the onions and peppers over a low heat until soft. Add the garlic, ground fenugreek, ground coriander, cumin, ginger and chilli, toast a little, then add the tinned tomatoes and an equal quantity of water to tomatoes. Add the salt and bay leaves. Simmer well for an hour; should be sweet, aromatic, rich. Combine the pumpkin with the base sauce, simmer very gently for 25 minutes, add freshly chopped coriander and serve.
From London to Pescara (via Paris, Milan, Bologna & Dijon...) by train
Earlier this year, Barny travelled by train from London to Pescara in Italy to visit Casa del Colle, the home of our week-long culinary adventure that takes place in May 2020. Along the way, he jotted down a few notes and suggestions (where to eat, where to walk, what to plan for) for others that might want to follow the same route.
NB Timings and costs were correct at the time of writing but are likely to change over time. Itinerary in brief:
Outward
Eurostar London St Pancras - Paris Gare Du Nord Paris Gare de Lyon (GDL) -Milan Centrale - Pescara Centrale
Return
Pescara Centrale – Bologna -Dijon
Dijon - Lille - London St Pancras
And here’s the above journey in more detail with some suggestions for what you might do in Paris and Dijon:
Outward: Depart 9.24 from London St Pancras arrive Paris Gard du Nord 12.05
Go straight to GDL by Metro (10 minutes) and leave your bags in the left luggage (lock-up) at GDL. And then here are three things you could do with 4-5 hours in Paris:
Have lunch. If you want any suggestions – let me know
Walk from GDL to the Musée D’Orsay - which I think is the best art gallery in Paris. It will take about 50 minutes but is worth it; it follows the Seine all the way and for the most part you can walk along the embankment itself.
Or you could just hang out around the Ile de La Cité and see the scaffolding around Notre Dame - which is pretty spectacular somehow - or cross the Pont St Michel and take the first right to the Quartier Latin where there are dozens of wonderful book and art shops and cafes (especially Le Rue St Andre Des Arts).
Also in the LQ, is the 15th Century L’Elise St Severin. Nobody goes there. I can’t imagine why not. It has some of the most beautiful stained glass windows I have ever seen.
If you haven’t had lunch, get back to GDL by 5pm and have an early supper in one of the many brasseries across from the station square. There is one called L’Europeen. And so very Parisienne too. I had oysters and salade composé (with confit de canard) and 2 glasses of Sancerre for €32.00. Brilliant.
Depart 19.15 Gare De Lyon arrive Milan 6am. Coffee and brioche at Milan station. This will be very welcome. Also get a panini or other from for the last leg of the trip - the ones on the train are pretty average.
If you get delayed in Paris as I did, get the 11.15 from Milan to Pescara and spend the wait looking around Milan Centrale station, the largest and arguably most magnificent station in Europe – even if was built by Mussolini.
Depart 7.30 Milan arrive Pescara Centrale 12.39 where you will be picked up.
Return Via Dijon and Lille. Take the sleeper from Pescara to Dijon.
Spend the day and the following night in Dijon, a beautiful city with its legendary cathedral in the heart of Burgundy (so you will also have a lovely dinner in the evening) - and then take the morning train to Lille and connect there with Eurostar to London.
What will it cost?
Of course travelling this way is going to be more expensive than flying. You could probably get a flight to Pescara for 30 quid if you were canny. But if you take into account the fact that the sleeper element of the journey involves a bed for the night, the price of the train trip becomes much more attractive.
They don’t have the schedules for May 2020 listed yet but here’s what I found this morning (11/10/19) if you travelled midweek in March:
Outward London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord £39.00
Paris Gare de Lyons to Pescara Centrale via Milan on the sleeper train In a 6 berth cabin: £87
In a 2 berth cabin: £165
Return Pescara – Bologna – Dijon
Day time train approx £67.00. By sleeper: In a 6 berth cabin £103.00. In a 2 berth cabin £188.00
Dijon - Lille – London
Approx £83.00
A recipe for August
Roast Peaches with rosewater & saffron syrup
Serves 6
12 ripe peaches
75ml water
75g caster sugar
juice 1/2 lemon
rosewater
large pinch of saffron
Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5. Wash and dry the peaches then halve and de-stone them. Arrange them, cut-side up, in a single layer in an ovenproof dish.
Meanwhile make the syrup. In a small pan gently heat the water, sugar and lemon juice until the sugar is dissolved and then bring to a boil.
Boil for 3-4 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the saffron transfer to a small bowl and leave to cool. Once cooled, add rosewater to taste (it can be very overpowering so go drop-by-drop). Pour over the peaches and serve with yogurt, ice cream or as they are.
A recipe for raspberry jam
You’ll need the same weight of sugar to fruit for this recipe but we think it’s only worth making with 500g or more.
1kg raspberries
1kg granulated sugar
First sterilise your jars. You can either put jars and lids through the dishwasher on a hot cycle or else wash jars and lids in hot, soapy water, rinse well and dry in a pre-heated oven (130C) for around 10 minutes until dry.
Put the raspberries in a large preserving pan (or your largest saucepan) and heat gently, lightly crushing with a spoon until the juice starts to run. Add the sugar and leave to dissolve over a gentle heat. Every so often, dip a wooden spoon into the mixture and check to make sure the sugar crystals have all dissolved. Whilst the sugar is dissolving, put a small clean saucer in the fridge - you’ll need this later on to check whether the jam is set.
Once the sugar is dissolved, turn up the heat to high and bubble vigorously for approximately ten minutes. Spoon a teaspoon onto the chilled saucer and return to the fridge for a minute or two. Check to see whether a skin has formed. If you push gently with your finger, it should be sticky and syrupy not runny. If not yet set, boil for a further five minutes and test again - you might need to repeat this process several times until the jam has reached setting point.
Once you’re happy with the set, remove from the heat, carefully ladle into the sterilised jars and fasten the lids tightly.
NB Take extra care with boiling sugar.
Behind the Scenes at Square Food Foundation
What’s it like to volunteer at Square Food?
We asked one of our newest volunteers, Lucy to give us her first impressions of the Square Food Kitchen. Here’s what she said...
As I walk into the Square Foundation Kitchen, for the first time it wasn’t the delicious smell of cooking which hit me first, although that was to come. The thing that I first saw was an overflowing basket of clean aprons being emptied from the washing machine indicating that this was a serious set-up. The kitchen is a hive of activity, with dirty dishes piling up in an alarming endless stream. I envisaged a morning up to my arms in soap suds but it was evenly shared between cooks and volunteers ensuring the stack of dirty pans and plates do not induce too much anxiety as they grow.
On arrival you are welcomed by friendly teachers showing you round their domain. A store cupboard to die for, tubs and jars of herbs and spices, long shelves stacked with pans and spatulas, chopping boards and baking trays – in fact every kitchen implement you have ever come across , well used and cared for. A walk in fridge with a terrifyingly solid bolted door, and a constant flow of deliveries from supermarkets and markets, which I later learnt was often donated unbought food. Barny Haughton who heads up the kitchen is an eco-pioneer and his values are carried throughout the operation.
I was shown to a scrubbed wooden worktop, and as a volunteer my role was to support the participants in their cooking and preparation. The group comprised of adults with learning disabilities, and on the menu was Singapore noodles and pineapple upside down cake which they could take home to share with their friends or family. The teaching was clear and the group absorbed every word. The kitchen is a home to a huge variety of teaching from groups of over 70s, to corporate away days, to parents and children from every background, to children expelled from mainstream education. Its variety is its strength and the adaptability of the team to each group its power.
Very soon the bubbling smell of butter and sugar for the caramel could be smelt throughout the kitchen and probably throughout the ground floor of The Park, a former school which houses the organisation. The flour, sugar, eggs and butter were creamed together and placed in the oven which heaved with almost a dozen cakes. Then to the serious job of chopping, and each participant watched the demonstration with intent, and then added their own take. Smiles grew wider as the vegetables, spices and noodles came together to create a delicious meal and the waft of cake baking could be smelled throughout the room. The finale was the unveiling of the cakes and this is where the magic happens - there were broad grins all around. It was a thoroughly satisfying volunteering opportunity for me. So great to see these young people, some with challenging lives, go home with bags full of food they had created, inspired to cook for family and friends and for themselves.
If you are interested in volunteering at Square Food Foundation, click here or if you want to find out more about their work, click here
Spring tapas recipe - a sneak preview to the Spanish Steps Masterclass
Our Spanish Steps masterclass is fully booked but here’s a sneak preview into the kind of thing we’ll be cooking on the night.
Green lentils with Swiss chard and crumbly sheeps cheese
Serves 6 as a starter
You can use sheeps milk curd or sheeps milk ricotta or feta. And goat’s cheese works very well too.
175g (6oz) dried green lentils, soaked overnight in cold water (or 1 tin cooked lentils drained well)
750g Swiss chard, well washed and drained
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
Juice of half a lemon
extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
150g crumbly sheeps milk cheese
To cook the lentils: Put them in a saucepan on a medium heat with plenty of water and a couple of bay leaves and bring them to a simmer. Cook gently for 20 minutes or so or until just soft but not mushy. Leave for a few minutes to cool a little then drain well. Put the lentils in a mixing bowl, add a little olive oil,, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Leave to one side at room temperature. To prepare the chard: strip the stalks out, chop them into 2 cm lengths and chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Now, heat a little olive oil in a large casserole pan over medium heat, add the sliced onion and cook gently until slightly coloured. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and cumin. Add the chard stalks and fry for a little longer until still just crunchy, then add the leaves. Mix well, put a lid on and stew for a few minutes until the stalks are tender. Add the chard and spices to the mixing bowl with the lentils and combine well with the lemon juice, some salt and pepper and a little more olive oil. Transfer to a serving dish, crumble the sheep’s cheese over the top, sprinkle with cumin, drizzle with a final slug of olive oil and serve.