Hailsham care home residents team up with local children to bring back favourite recipes

A care home in Hailsham has teamed up with local children 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 Bowes House, on Battle Road, 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 Hailsham for many years to come, residents from Bowes House have rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons, to team up with local children to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.  

Residents and their younger friends enjoyed a bake-off style cooking activity, complete with an all-important taste-testing session at the end to decide on their favourite sweet-treat. The delicious bakes included banana bread, jam and coconut cake, and rocky road – with Banana Bread coming out on top. 

Resident, Joyce, said: “It was lovely to reminisce about baking and meet the children. I tasted a rocky road cake for the first time too, which was delicious. I particularly enjoyed seeing the children’s faces when they saw all the different sweet treats on display - there were some wonderful cakes to try and everyone enjoyed the afternoon.”

Jonathan Johnson, Home Manager at Bowes House, said: “Spring is in the air – and so too are the smells of some incredibly tasty home-baked 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 traditional bakes to modern delights, it’s been wonderful seeing the residents revisit some of their favourite sweet treats from across the decades with local children. Rocky road 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

Bowes House is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own café, cinema and hair salon and there is plenty of space, both indoors and out, for relaxation and recreation. The home has a comprehensive activity programme, offering a mix of themed events and group activities both inside and outside of the home.