Funding for cookery workshops in Liverpool to help cut food waste

A project to help householders in Liverpool save money and cut food waste is celebrating a funding boost.

Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside has received £8,000 from the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) Community Fund to run the ‘Let’s Speke About Food’ scheme which will see cookery workshops delivered to raise awareness of and help reduce household food waste.

An estimated 140,000 tonnes of food is wasted in the Liverpool City Region each year, a lot of which could still be used. It is this behaviour the project is hoping to change and will look to stop over 12,000 tonnes of food from going to waste.

Cook It classes will teach local residents practical cookery skills. These demonstrations – or cook and eat sessions – will focus on key Love Food Hate Waste messages linked to portion control, batch cooking and storage, Buy What You Eat and Eat What You Buy. Each workshop is focused around the production of a single meal and will be targeted at both cooking for families and for individuals. The workshops will use seasonal produce as well as utilising commonly leftover foods.

It was originally planned that these classes would be delivered in person, however due to Coronavirus and social distancing measures they will now be video recorded for participants to watch in their own time.

The eleven sessions (including two Christmas meals) will be accompanied by a recipe card featuring step by step instructions so participants can cook along as they watch. The videos will be produced and released between now and March 2021.

Groundwork Project Manager Brendan Cassin said:

“Learning to cook gives people control over what they’re eating. By using step-by-step recipes householders will be able to cook low cost, healthy meals from scratch. It’s good for them as we are pushing healthy eating messages, and it’s good for the environment.

“We’ve had to change our plans due to Coronavirus but we’re still confident of delivering a great project for the people of South Liverpool and beyond!”

Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of MRWA, said:

“All of our Community Fund schemes have been affected one way or another by Coronavirus, however that isn’t stopping them from delivering wonderful projects.

“Food waste is a big issue with a significant environmental impact – however, projects like Let’s Speke About Food can help have a real positive impact to see that waste reduced.”

As well as being made available for the Cook It video sessions, the 11 recipe cards will also be distributed to all 3700 homes under the management of housing association South Liverpool Homes.