Cambridge care home residents team up with local Beavers to bring back favourite recipes

A care home in Cambridge has teamed up with local Beavers and joined a nationwide campaign to save traditional recipes from being forgotten.  

A poll of 2,000 adults carried out by Care UK, which operates Heathlands House on Bullen Close, found almost two-thirds (65%) of the nation no longer use family recipes that have been handed down through the generations, however, 43% of people surveyed are keen to save them. 

In a bid to prevent family recipes passed down through the generations from being lost forever, Care UK has launched a free downloadable recipe book – Recipes to remember, which features recipes shared by care home residents across the UK. From food enjoyed during World War Two to quirky desserts from the 1970s, the book includes residents’ favourite foods, alongside recipes tailored to support older people by Care UK’s award-winning chefs. 

Keen to keep their recipes bubbling away in Cambridge for many years to come, residents from Heathlands House have rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons, and teamed up with children from Cambridge 12^th Beaver Scouts to show just how tasty their food favorite’s from the past are.  

Residents and children enjoyed sampling a variety of wartime classics, including spam fritters, pease pudding, and tripe and onions – as well as some tasty desserts including Victoria sponge and rice pudding.

Residents Edna said: “I loved sharing the food we ate during our childhood with the children. It is good for them to know how much has changed and how lucky they are to live in the current times. But also, how healthy we generally were eating barely any convenience foods.”

Razvan Stanbeca, Home Manager at Heathlands House, said: “Spring is in the air – and so too are the smells of some incredibly tasty home-cooked recipes adored by residents and their families for generations.  

“Just like a photograph, a family recipe can be a way to revisit the past and reminisce on a cherished memory or loved ones. How something tastes or smells can be a powerful tool for triggering memories and positive feelings, especially for those living with dementia, which is why we’re delighted to be taking part in Care UK’s Recipes to remember campaign.

“From spam fritters to rice pudding, it’s been wonderful seeing the residents revisit some of their favourite foods from across the decades with children from Cambridge 12^th Beaver Scouts Arctic rolls might be out of flavour but it’s clear from how well the resident’s recipes were enjoyed that there’s still a hunger for foods from the past today – so donut give up on them!”

To find out more about Care UK’s Recipes to remember initiative or to download your copy of the recipe book, please visit: careuk.com/recipes-to-remember

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Heathlands House incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities both indoors and out. The layout of the building has been configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge and dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.