Southampton care home residents team up with local pupils to bring back favourite recipes

A care home in Southampton 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 Ancasta Grove, on Barnes 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 from 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 Southampton for many years to come, residents from Ancasta Grove have rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons, to team up with pupils from Sarisbury Infant School to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.  

Together, the two generations baked cakes that were enjoyed during the residents’ own childhoods, and residents taught children how to make traditional English scones. 

Resident, David, said: “It was such a joy baking the recipes from our childhood and sharing them with the younger generation. These recipes must be passed on and for them to enjoy. It was such a wonderful experience baking and eating together – what a treat!”

Joel Ignacio, Home Manager at Ancasta Grove, 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 one. 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 simple ingredients to scones it’s been wonderful seeing the residents revisit some of their favourite foods from across the decades with pupils from Sarisbury Infant School. 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

Ancasta Grove has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides residential, nursing and specialist dementia care, as well as respite and end of life care, and is proud to be able to offer a ‘home for life’ if an individual’s needs change over time.