Cheadle care home residents to bring back favourite recipes

A care home in Cheadle has joined a nationwide campaign to save traditional recipes from being forgotten. 

A poll of 2,000 adults carried out by Care UK, which operates Abney Court, in Abney Hall Park, 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 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 Cheadle for many years to come, residents from Abney Court have rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons, to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.  

On the day, Pat Cubbon, aged 87, enjoyed helping the Head Chef and residents make her original chocolate cake recipe. They filled the cake with apricot jam and whipped cream and topped the chocolately masterpiece with a dusting of icing-sugar, before residents enjoyed an afternoon tea complete with Pat’s mouthwatering cake. Pat also shared her top-tip of adding a “touch of golden syrup” to the sponge mixture.

Pat commented: “I enjoyed helping the chef and sharing my unique tips for the perfect cake. Old recipes can give you great ideas for creating something new. I used to bake the cake for my family and my son who particularly enjoyed eat it”.

Zoe Smart, Home Manager at Abney Court, said: “We’ve certainly been whipping up some sweet treats here at Abney Court as we headed to the kitchen to revisit residents’ food favourites from decades gone by.

“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.

“Everyone had a great time talking about their favourite foods – and taste testing Pat’s chocolate cake was certainly the cherry on the cake!” 

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 

Abney Court has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.