Harrow care home residents team up with school children to bring back favourite recipes

A care home in Harrow has teamed up with local school 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 Buchanan Court on Sudbury Hill, 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 Harrow for many years to come, residents from Buchanan Court have rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons, to team up with local pupils  to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.  

On the day, the children joined residents in the home’s kitchen to enjoy a cooking masterclass with the home’s Head Chef, where together they cooked resident, Jyotika Shah’s favourite family recipe, thapla, a type of flatbread that originates from India. 

Keen for others to sample her dish, Jyotika’s thapla recipe features in Care UK’s resident-led recipe book, which can be downloaded here. 

Commenting on the afternoon, Joytika said: “As an active person, I love being able to share my life experiences and knowledge with the next generation – especially when it comes to food!”

Esther Adams, Home Manager at Buchanan Court, 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 jam roly-poly to devilled eggs, it’s been wonderful seeing the residents revisit some of their favourite foods from across the decades with the pupils. 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!”

Recipes to rememberBuchanan Court provides full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable its residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own bar and hair salon, and there is plenty of space both in and outdoors for relaxation and recreation.