It’s great to be able to cook your own meals, like nutritious soups, but they taste even better when the vegetables in them have been grown in your own allotment.
That was the verdict of members of Bexley Mencap’s Hub group who meet every Monday and Wednesday afternoon to learn key life skills like shopping, preparing healthy meals and cooking.
Several members of the Hub are also a part of Bexley Mencap’s award winning Gardening Group and helped to plant and grow a wide range of vegetables this year.
So when making soup came up on the monthly list of things to do – they quickly suggested making potato and leek soup.
The Gardening group dug up potatoes and leeks from our nearby allotment straight from the soil. Not content with this they then decided that the soup needed some extra flavour so they picked runner beans, and green peppers, too.
Working as a team, Feras started off by washing the potatoes in the sink as they still had fresh mud on them from the allotment. Then Matt and Adrian expertly peeled the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Matt and Chris also diced the green peppers.
Meanwhile Nicola and Feras were busy chopping up the leeks and runner beans ready for cooking. After lightly frying the vegetables first, Chris and Matt made up a vegetable stock and let the soup simmer on a low heat before adding some crème fraiche at the end to give the soup a nice creamy texture. All that was left was for Nicola to pour out the soup into waiting bowls.
And what did the chefs think of their own cooking and ingredients?
Adrian said ‘It’s all free and well worth the effort. I enjoy gardening every week so to be able to taste our own vegetables is really special’
Feras said ‘the soup was really tasty’ and was happy to have a second helping. And Nicola says she keen to help out more in the kitchen at home and is already suggesting recipes for next time.
Matt planted the leeks in early spring and enjoyed the soup and said the leeks were nice and soft to eat. Chris was one of the group who dug up the potatoes using a spade and fork as well as helping to pick the runner beans. ‘We planted and picked them,’ he said, ‘and now we get to eat them!’
Scott Matthews, Bexley Mencap’s Support Services Manager said ‘The Hub aims to give members the chance to practice key life skills in a safe and supportive environment. Today’s soup making session using our very own home grown ingredients was a great way to try new skills, build up confidence and everyone enjoyed helping out in the kitchen.’
If you want to join one of our groups or help as a volunteer phone 020 83036336 or email: office@bexleymencap.org.uk
