Encounters with ingredients. 

There are many easy and delicious recipes using apples. Cooking together provides important jobs for all involved. When I visit the Leominster Meeting Centre (LMC) we use local apples to cook recipes chosen by the participants. A job list is displayed, and most participants have a strong opinion about what they want to do: chopping, stirring, making labels, measuring, weighing, designing, watching. The more we cook, the more ideas people have. Participants, staff and volunteers often bring produce from their gardens to cook with.

Stirring

Tony usually found it difficult to stick at any task, but he wanted to stir the chutney that we had all agreed to make. He stood in the middle of the room with a large pot and spoon. It didn’t matter what order ingredients were added to the pot. Everyone could take their contributions to Tony when they were ready. Some of the ingredients were smelly, especially the cider vinegar; this gave everyone the chance to laugh and to take an interest in the recipe. The whole process took an hour, and Tony stirred happily throughout. The pot he was stirring was interesting – it changed all the time, depending on which ingredient had been added. Twelve participants helped to make the chutney. Support was offered to those that needed it, but others could contribute independently in their own time. Everyone enjoyed creating something together. Smelling and tasting interesting ingredients as we worked was a bonus. Eating the chutney with cheese and apple afterwards was the best bit.

Designing apple tarts

Everyone wanted to make and eat apple tarts. After peeling, chopping and cooking the apples the fun started. Jobs included preparing tins, cutting the pastry, and adding the apple (just the right amount, which caused amusing comments). Finally, everyone could decide how to make each tart more interesting. Some people added blackberries or blueberries, or extra bits of pastry cut into decorative shapes. The quiet contentment of the whole group was wonderful to see, especially as they admired each other’s ideas and stole them. Since they only took ten minutes to bake no one had to wait long to select a beautifully designed tart to eat with a cup of tea. The failures also produced laughter and a great sense of fun.