We offer 3 accredited courses through the Royal Enviromental Health Institute Scotland (REHIS):
- Elementary Food Hygiene
- Elementary Food & Health
- Elementary Cooking Skills
We also offer bespoke Group Cookery Sessions. The Group Cookery Sessions concentrate on developing skills and confidence in cooking, helping the participants learn about healthy eating, food hygiene and cookery, in a practical setting. The Group Cookery Sessions can be an excellent way to engage a community group, whether its a way to team build together, or to help them engage in learning in a new way.
Each course is tailored to the unique individuals that attend. Every community is different, and I have found that what works with one group sometimes doesn’t work with others! Therefore, I take the time to get to know each group before starting – this can be done via email, or I can attend a “get to know you” session.
I have worked with a huge variety of different communities and people, all across the Kingdom of Fife. Here are some examples of the courses I have developed and facilitated:
Step Into Cookery:
Contracted by Fife Community Food Project to work on their behalf with Fife College
Step In is an employability course provided by Fife College in Leven, and includes people from a whole range of ages and backgrounds. As part of a multi-skill programme, I was contracted by Fife Community Food Project with developing a rolling course, that could be repeated for each term. I developed a core programme, which has been used continually for the past 5 years, and has scope to be adapted for each groups needs. Since October 2013, I have incorporated the REHIS “Elementary Cookery Skills” course. This means that all participants of the course will get an officially recognised qualification and build up a whole range of skills for their CV.
Cookery & U
Contracted by Fife Community Food Project to work on their behalf with ON Fife
To promote social inclusion, Cookery & U is a course for people with long term mental health problems, brain injury or learning difficulties. I was contracted by Fife Community Food Project to develop a course to help people overcome their anxieties around cooking and preparing food, but also of meeting new people, working with others and going to new places. I work with each client (up to 6 people in a session), taking their own abilities into account. Recipes are adapted according to each individual, specifically in terms of literacy and physical skills. Each session is developed with the groups input, to help them feel more included, and comfortable with what they will be doing. Throughout the course, the sessions are focussing on increasing confidence, as well as cooking skills, with a view to the participant feeling more able to attend other courses offered by ON Fife
Bothy Stovie Stories
Working with Health Inequalities Team, NHS FIFE and Alan Grieve, Bothy Project
Located in the Broomhead Community Flat, Alan and I have been facilitating a project once a week. In the Community Flat, I have been hosting demonstrations of cooking Scottish recipes, whilst Alan records the social history stories about the flats from the residents. This will be used to create a mural within the complex. The participants enjoy helping with the food demonstrations, asking questions on cooking techniques and sharing their favourite recipes. Since then, we have been charged with continuing the programme until December 2014, and developing the course further to incorporate more input from the families and children who live in the flats.
I have worked with children, young people, parents, families, older people, vulnerable adults, and homeless people. For more information on other courses I have run, please feel free to get in touch.
Please note that all courses are only available on evenings and weekends