Working within the community is a huge passion of mine, and it’s always been a priority for me to keep doing it alongside growing gwafuvegan. It’s a way to know what’s happening in the community, speak to other likeminded people, and give back.

Throughout the month of August, I worked alongside Groundwork Manchester, a wonderful organisation that aims to help communities become stronger, and make spaces greener and more resilient to the effects of climate change.

So, when Groundwork reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in teaching groups of young people how to cook, all while preparing over 50 meals a week for the Harpurhey Neighbourhood Project, I jumped at the chance! Over the course of a month, together we cooked over 300 meals (!) - it was a true triumph, made even better by seeing young people enjoying cooking up a storm. The amazing feedback we received from the local residents was the cherry on top.

Where possible, we sourced our ingredients from Manchester vegan institution, Unicorn Grocery, a co-operative grocery store where sourcing products and produce with the lowest possible impact on the planet, people, and animal, is king. Armed with sustainable produce and some culinary enthusiasm, we were able to make the following meals:

· Burnt aubergine veggie chilli

· Pea risotto

· Ratatouille

· Vegan Mac and Cheese

· Lentil bolognaise

· Pulled sticky ginger Mushroom with rice and peas

· Black bean Goulash with dumplings

· Jollof rice

· Jackfruit curry with rice

· Lentil Dahl with rice

All recipes were developed by myself, made with low carbon in mind, and, of course, everything was plant based. With such great feedback, it just goes to show that eating a plant based diet doesn’t have to be boring – the options are endless!

Cooking 300 free meals for the Community

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