Gateshead's Mindful Cookery Course
A free cooking and food education course for 16-25 year olds
The Mindful Cooking Course is from the Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food programme. This free 8-week cookery course gives young people in Gateshead the skills, knowledge and confidence to cook and eat in a way that benefits their wellbeing whilst also being part of a study that aims to prove how improved diet improves mood and mental health. Read on for more info and eligibility criteria.
The course is a pilot programme funded by Gateshead Council and delivered by Nourish Food School. It is part of a study with The Foundation for Young People’s Mental Health and evaluated by University of Reading.
Upcoming courses
Starts Apr 27
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@ Hertfordshire House, Rothbury Terrace, NE10 0QY, 16:15 - 17:45
Starts May 22
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@ Wicker Chair Cafe NE5 5HH, free Ministry of Food cooking classes.
Starts Jun 3
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COURSE OUTLINE
- Over 8 weeks, participants will join weekly cookery classes in Gateshead.
- Everyone will receive a free food hamper with essential ingredients for home cooking.
- Learn 2 delish, quick and low-cost recipes each week.
- Individual cooking stations with step-by-step guidance from the Nourish Trainer.
- Basic nutrition integrated into every class
- Weekly goal setting for home cooking and eating
- At least 2 servings of the meal to take home
- Recipe cards to take home every week.
- Access to extra recipes, top tips and local food deals throughout e-bulletin (optional)
SIGN UP (eligibility)
We are looking for people who want to learn how to cook and eat in a way that is good for mood, how we feel and ultimately our mental health.
ANYONE aged 16-18 can join the programme!
For anyone who also meets any of the following criteria, you will be eligible to also join as part of the study and will receive some freebies to help you put into practice your new skills at home.
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aged 16-18 (or up to 25 if SEND)
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a resident of Gateshead
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experience periods of low mood sometimes
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willing to take part in all 8 cookery classes
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able to put the learning from the classes into action at home
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interested in learning about food, cooking and nutrition
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able to take part in the evaluation that involves a couple of forms and having chats with our evaluators
EVALUATION
requirements
This is a brand new project to showcase just how valuable cooking and eating well is for our mental health.
We want to ensure other people can benefit from this project later and so your thoughts and experience really matters to us.
Since you're the first group in the country to ever do this course, there'll be a bit of paperwork to fill out and we wanted to give you a heads-up about that!
We're trying to keep it as simple as possible and we'll support you to fill in any forms as much as you need too.
Our evaluation forms will include:
- a tickbox quiz about what you eat
- a couple of tickbox quizzes about your mood and how you feel
- an end of course evaluation form
Learn more about why this programme is being run!
Everyone deserves to be happy, healthy and have the tools, knowledge and confidence to make really great choices for themselves - especially when it comes to what we eat! The food we eat can have a big impact on our mood and our resilience in tackling mental health concerns such as depression. Studies have shown that a following a Mediterranean Diet can reduce and sometimes remove altogether the symptoms of depression. How cooking courses can make a difference Many people may not feel they have the skills or confidence to cook from scratch or understand what a mentally healthful diet looks like. We believe that an increase in cooking skills paired with nutrition education can make all the difference - boosting confidence and motivation to make small changes gradually to food behaviours. We want young people to be able to make informed choices that allows them to thrive and confidently reach towards their goals where the stresses and strains of mental health don't hold them back.
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