Food is still the key to man’s heart as Telford kitchen hub takes off

The Men in Kitchens scheme sees a band of elderly men come together weekly at the Wrekin Housing Trust's Vicarage Grove site in Dawley, and the original 10-week programme has been such a success since starting in January that the men have asked for it to continue indefinitely.

The band of nine men is made up of Wrekin Housing Trust residents, members of the Newport Men's Shed and men who simply live in Telford.

Some became isolated after losing their wives, some wanted to pick up new skills and others were encouraged to go by friends or family.

They come from all over Shropshire to Vicarage Grove, in Dawley, where volunteer chef John Thompson brings in a new recipe and ingredients every week.

He gets the men involved in the preparation of the food, setting them tasks like peeling vegetables and preparing salad, and together they create nutritious meals to enjoy at the end of the two-hour sessions.

"I never thought it would be so successful," said Katrina Pooler, an events co-ordinator at the housing trust who helps run the events.

Pancakes

"We thought we would give it 10 weeks, see if it even took off. But when they found it wasn't planned as a permanent thing they were devastated.

"In the last few weeks we have realised it's not something we want to stop."

The scheme is supported by Telford & Wrekin Council's health and wellbeing officers, and the site's manager Carla Mason gets stuck in too.

The meals vary every week, with some of the most popular including pancakes to mark Shrove Tuesday, and frittatas which were a new experience for many of them.

One of the men who bounced back from the death of his wife with the help of the kitchen group is Geoff Clayton, who served in the RAF for 28 years.

Originally from Stockport, he came to Telford in the early 1980s when he was stationed at RAF Cosford.

Geoff, now 81, eventually became a civil servant and taught video production at the base, before retiring in the late 1990s.

Then he and wife Alice took on globe-trotting motorcycle holidays.

"Those were without doubt the best days that we had ever had," said Geoff.

"Unfortunately she contracted fibrosis, a lung condition. She knew and I knew that it would kill her eventually."

Alice went into the Severn Hospice in Apley a year ago, and died soon after.

Geoff had relied on Alice's cooking, and though he never starved he struggled to enjoy meal times after her death.

"I wasn't eating well. I just stayed away from rubbish food and tried my best with the lack of skill that I had.

"But I was in no condition to make a meal for anyone else. I would rather die than invite anyone for a meal.

Fantastic

"I have a lady called Maggie who comes and vacuums and moves the dust around twice a week, she kept trying to introduce me to things to get interested in.

"She was disappointed, although she wasn't showing it, that I wasn't taking her up on any of these things.

"Then she came upon this Men in Kitchens idea."

Geoff went along to try one of the sessions to please Maggie, but what he found was a friendly group that helped him improve his cooking skills and he was hooked.

He said: "Maggie asked me how it went, I said it was fantastic. She was overjoyed.

"It brought a lot of pleasure into her life that she had found something that in one fell swoop got me out, helped me learn new things and introduced me to a new group of people.

"It has taken the fear out of cooking for me."

One of Geoff's new friends is Malcolm Seeby, who lives at the Vicarage Grove accommodation.

Malcolm, 68 and originally from Birmingham, is the president of the Dawley Royal British Legion branch and involves himself with organising events and entertainment at Vicarage Grove.

He said: "I think it's really good, it's ideal for people who have never been in a kitchen.

"Me and the wife always shared the cooking and things like that. I was able to cook before I came here but I thought I would come along and try to help them.

"I have made a lot of new friends."

Malcolm threw himself into the programme and even applied for a Level 2 Food Safety & Catering NVQ. He passed and proudly showed his certificate to friends at last week's session.

He said: "It's great that they can put this course on and I'm very grateful as I'm sure many other people are.

"John is absolutely brilliant, Carla the manager has been really good too."

Volunteers

The sessions became more refined over the past two months, with entertainment in the longer intermissions in the form of a quiz.

One of the older members of the group is Reg Price, who is 95 and said he drives himself to the sessions every week from Donnington.

Reg served in the army in the Second World War and has been cooking for himself since the death of his wife Averil.

He said: “I was looking for alternatives to my usual jacket potatoes and beans and my daughters thought that I should give this a go. I often rely on ready meals and so I’m looking forward to learning some new skills.

"I already feel inspired to try a few new things like the healthy chips when I get back home.”

The kitchen at Dawley can only hold 10 people, and the trust is looking for volunteers to help set up another group at its Margaret Court site in Ketley.

For more information and to inquire about volunteering, call Katrina Pooler on 01952 217027.

Telford & Wrekin Councillor Arnold England, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “Men in Kitchens is such a great scheme supporting older men who find themselves in new situations.

"They may need to take control of cooking and nutrition for themselves or for a partner who needs their support or just need some company.

“We’re delighted to have been involved with helping to set up the scheme. It provides a friendly welcoming environment for men in similar situations, helping them learn the skills for cooking and new recipes.

“Also, through sitting down at the end of the session and enjoying the meal, the scheme helps tackle isolation and loneliness giving the group a chance to talk.”