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

A care home in Lymington 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 Sway Place, on Church Lane, 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 Lymington for many years to come, residents from Sway Place joined forces with team members' children to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.  

On the day, Albie and Flora, aged helped residents bake a traditional fruit cake that is popular in Yorkshire, which is also known as ‘cut and come again cake’.

Betty, aged 93 who is from Yorkshire said: “The recipes took me back to my younger years, it was a firm family favourite, I was transformed back to Yorkshire to my days as a young lass. It was wonderful to relive those happy memories again and being able to recreate and share the recipe with the children was lovely.”

Jane Baxter, General Manager at Sway Place, said: “We’ve certainly been whipping up some treats here at Sway Place as we headed to the kitchen to revisit residents’ food favourites from decades gone by. 

“Regardless of age, food plays an important part in all of our lives, and there’s something special about the way the senses have the ability to evoke happy memories and emotions – which is why keeping old family recipes bubbling away and sharing them with younger generations is so important. 

“It was fantastic to welcome Albie and Flora to Sway Place for an afternoon spent baking. Everyone had a great time talking about their favourite foods – we’ll definitely be baking ‘cut & come again’ cake for visitors to Sway Place from now on!”  

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, Sway Place incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The home provides full-time residential care, dementia care and respite care. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, and 14 independent living cottages, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.