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

A care home in Windsor has teamed up with a local nursery 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 Mountbatten Grange on Helston 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 Windsor for many years to come, residents from Mountbatten Grange rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons to team up with youngsters from William Street Nursery to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.  

Children were invited to make resident’s favourite tasty treats – the famous Rice Krispy cake.

Resident, Jack, said: “I had great fun baking with everyone – I especially liked passing on my favourite part of the recipe – licking the spoon when you’re finished! It was good to pass on the recipes to the next generation, otherwise the classics will be lost.”

Debbie Winwood, Home Manager at Mountbatten Grange, added: “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.

“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 

Mountbatten Grange is a care home that provides residential, nursing and short-term respite care, as well as specialist dementia care. The home features 72 en-suite bedrooms and enables residents to live active and fulfilled lives while also promoting independence. Mountbatten Grange has its own café, hair and beauty salon and cinema.