It seems like a long time ago that we – that is our staff, customers and local supporters – set out on the road to raise £10,000 for our Streets to Kitchen campaign. Even before our initial target was met (smashed in March this year), there was already plenty of activity going on behind the scenes to set the wheels in motion for the project.

An initial taster session one summery day saw Square Food Foundation’s Barny Haughton, visit St. Mungo’s New Street Recovery College to cook up a feast with an able team of clients from the college, each of whom has been in some way affected by homelessness.

Then came the pilot – six short sessions to test the water for a long term weekly course. The sessions explored what worked for the clients (and what didn’t) at the same time as getting to grips with the kitchen and establishing a presence and sense of trust in the college.

As Square Food Foundation’s course leader becomes a familiar face in the college kitchen, the cohort of clients attending the course – now in its second term – is beginning to settle too. Their reasons for attending vary widely; some drop in to socialise in a positive and productive enviroment, others have goals in mind – learning to cook budget meals, developing new skills to take them on the road to new places.

At the beginning of the summer, just one week into the new term, clients have been learning classic recipes like cauliflower cheese and ginger biscuits. Though simple, the range of skillls behind each recipe is varied and easy to transfer – steaming vegetables, making a bechamel sauce, creating vegetarian meals from low cost ingredients.

“This is so productive”, said one client, perhaps summing up one of the key things that draws people to this course.

Keep an eye on our Streets to Kitchen blog for more updates as the course continues.

Streets to Kitchen is Better Food’s charity partership in support of Square Food Foundation, raising money to deliver a year-long cookery course to clients of St. Mungo’s Bristol Recovery College who have been affected by homelessness. Read more about the project and find out how you can support it here.