In March we partnered with arts venue Jacksons Lane to deliver Spice Mix workshops and delicious lunches to their community of older people in Highgate.
Broadway Brunches
Our Kitchen crew prepared two delicious meals for Jacksons Lane’s Broadway Brunches, a touring version of their Social Lunches. This initiative brings food and live performances to supported housing schemes across the borough, helping to combat social isolation amongst older residents.
Our members worked hard to cook nutritious and delicious dishes and to deliver them to people in care homes in true Headway style: warm, joyful, and with a personal touch!
Spice Mix Workshop
We ran three of our signature Spice Mix workshops with community groups at Jackson’s Lane. Led by members Jackie, Dave, Donovan, and Pip with the support of staff member Thomas, participants created aromatic spice mixes and sauces to add flavour to their favourite dishes.
Jackie, a longstanding member of our Kitchen team and local Highgate resident, introduced us to the brilliant Jacksons Lane Creative Engagement Officer, Maxime Singleton, and suggested the partnership!
We quickly realised our workshops could be a fantastic opportunity to connect our communities.
Another key member of the Kitchen crew, Donovan has been a member of Headway since 2017. He is an expert cook and often delights our community with incredible dishes inspired by Jamaican flavours.
On the day of the workshop, our Kitchen team arrived at Jacksons Lane equipped with a carefully assembled mobile kit: recipes, ingredients and basic kitchen tools including chopping board, knives and an electric mixer.
After a round of introductions, Donovan and Jackie explained the recipes and guided participants in creating their own sauce.
While chopping, removing stems and squeezing lime, everyone shared stories of food. Sometimes it was memories evoked by the smell of an herb, sometimes clever tips to make the most of our ingredients.
Over two lively sessions, participants made kimchi, a sauerkraut sauce with caraway seeds and a jerk marinade.
We brought fresh bread and Donovan’s famous fried plantains for dipping and tasting. At the end everyone jarred up their creations to take home and enjoy.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone at Jacksons Lane for welcoming us. We can’t wait to see you again for more creative collaborations!
