An al fresco lunch was enjoyed by residents of Derby’s City Point estate to celebrate the end of a free ‘healthy cooking on a budget’ project. The sessions, organised by Riverside and community charity Sova, gave people the chance to learn how to cook cheap, hot, healthy meals for themselves and their older, vulnerable neighbours.

The project originated from a suggestion from City Point resident Rachel Taylor, who wanted more to be done to teach people how to cook healthy food on a limited budget.

Riverside Community Engagement Team Leader Rupa Chandarana said: “We brought families together to learn how to batch-cook healthy, cheap meals for both themselves and neighbours who would benefit from a hot meal and social contact. All the ingredients were provided, so there was no cost to taking part. It was a great way for the City Point community to come together and make a difference. This is the first healthy eating scheme to feature batch-cooking, funded by Public Health England, and it’s been a huge success.”

As well as gaining knowledge and skills, people received a food hygiene certificate at the end of the course.