We believe that everyone should have access to good healthy food, which is why our Community Cooking projects aim to help disadvantaged children and adults develop the skills and confidence they need to be able to cook from scratch.
“Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand.”
This may or may not be a Chinese proverb but at Munch it is definitely our community cooking moto!
We run after school clubs called Grub Clubs for families with children, Munch Lunch Club for adults, online courses which help people become better orientated in their own kitchens and holiday cooking workshops (kids only).
Our format is simple, we provide recipes, ingredients and equipment (including A LOT of portable hobs!) and everybody cooks their own food. We all sit down and eat together and leftovers are taken home to enjoy at a later date.
Our ethos is sustainable nutrition. This means helping people cook entirely from scratch – no nasties – leaving them fully in control of what goes into their food. From an environmental point of view this can also dramatically lower packaging waste and food waste. Sustainable nutrition also means learning about food miles, air vs sea freight, the benefits of using frozen and dried herbs and veg (less waste!), seasonal produce and buying locally.
We help people make flexible eating changes with a strong emphasis on high fibre, fruit and veg and low to no levels of red meat.
Beyond this, our workshops provide a safe and sociable environment where people can learn all about cooking and healthy eating as well as experience the benefits of eating together, being part of a community, and the incredible impact this has on general wellbeing.
“I would never have used leftover foods before GC – now all leftovers go in the fridge or freezer.”
“I’m 83 and have never cooked a meal in my life but I’m sick of ready meals so thought I’d give it a go!”
“I learnt a lot about easy one-pot cooking, I have been inspired to cook and bought some slow-cooking cook books from charity shops.”
“It‘s really made me feel motivated to cook.”
“I’ve enjoyed meeting new people.” “Yes. And making new friends”
“Just wanted to say thank you for such a lovely lunch group it has helped me a lot.
“I’m cooking more and even used the slow cooker, you’ve certainly helped with my cooking confidence.”
“My son loved getting hands-on and being trusted to do things he hadn’t before. We enjoyed cooking together and eating/appreciating what we had made.”
“I really enjoyed using the different ingredients and found it interesting and I really liked peeling the carrots!”
“We have really enjoyed your cooking sessions. It’s been so rewarding learning to cook new meals together. The children have all learned new skills and tried and liked new foods and flavours.”
“I loved having that one day a week I didn’t have to think about what we’d be having for dinner! Cooking with Kane was fun and nice and gave us a bit of quality time with no distractions.”
“We’ve kept all of the recipes and have used them since the group at home.”
“I enjoyed meeting people and cooking in a group.”
“This is the first time I’ve eaten borlotti beans and I liked them.”
“My son is interested in what I’m doing when I cook dinner now, and likes to find different ingredients in meals if he hasn’t seen them prepared.”
“The group was very well run with welcoming volunteers and smiles every week. I liked cooking with my son with no distractions.”
“I have been going to Winnall Munch Grub Club with my Granddaughter and she absolutely loved it and is missing it. She has grown so much and we both have learnt so much from the experience. Before she would only help out a little in the kitchen, Now her Mum can’t get her out of the kitchen, which is lovely.
She is only 7 years old but she has even shown other family members how to chop items with sharp knives and using a peeler. Her mother has said she loves to even set the table and encourages them all to sit and eat at the table, which as a family they became little laps at. Her Mum also said she loves that the menus are quick and easy to follow and now she loves to make flatbread with little support from an adult.”
“Grub Club was lovely. We met some amazing families, we now keep in touch with even though we are not in the area. Mary and her helpers were amazing. They had time to show and teach us so much. We miss it and hope the grub club returns soon.”
“The Children enjoyed being involved in the preparation of food and learning the processes of developing their meals, I think they really enjoyed tasting all their delicious dishes. I enjoyed watching my children learn and grow and gained an understanding of how responsibly they managed the knives and following the recipe.
It’s helped at home a lot. We learnt lots of new skills on how to involve the children safely, eg grating garlic and we learnt new ways to make coleslaw and dips rather than using mayonnaise which has encouraged the children to make their own dips and coleslaw and a lot healthier option.
The group has helped me spend quality time with my children and we enjoyed building on our strengths and figuring out where you manage to lose their interest at home.
I really enjoyed grub club for lots of reasons but mostly the fun new learning atmosphere I don’t have any suggestions it was great fun xx Thank you.”
Charis and her children, now aged 2 and 4, live at Barton Farm, a new development just outside of Winchester. They started coming to our Winnall Grub Club in July 2022, after hearing about it at the Community Food Pantry. Charis wanted to get the children out of the house and encourage them to learn about food.
Find out moreJess and her two boys, Tyler, now 10 and Elliott (8) live in Winnall, a suburb of Winchester, which is amongst the 20% most deprived areas in the UK (index of Multiple Deprivation 2019), despite Winchester being one of the most expensive areas to live in in the UK.
Find out moreKayleigh and her three children, Mya (now 8), Leo (7) and Ella (4) live in Winnall, a suburb of Winchester which is amongst the 20% most deprived areas in the UK (index of Multiple Deprivation 2019), despite Winchester being one of the most expensive areas to live in in the UK.
Find out moreWe can’t do anything without you, and that’s why it all starts with a chat. Call us on 07395 020373 or click the button below to talk through your ideas, answer your questions and start designing your perfect catering experience.
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