Woolmer Green care home residents team up with local students to bring back favourite recipes

A care home in Woolmer Green has teamed up with a local school 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 Knebworth on London 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 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 Woolmer Green for many years to come, residents from Knebworth have rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons, and teamed up with students from Knebworth Primary and Nursery School to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.  

Together, residents and students enjoyed whipping up a delicious spiced cake – a favourite recipe of resident Marian, who would make the cake every harvest. 

Marian said: “It was a pleasure to watch the children making the cake. It’s important for children to learn to cook from a recipe, as well as trying a traditional method of baking and the comparison in taste. I’m pleased to see children being encouraged to cook, it was very satisfactory!” 

Daniel Grab, Home Manager at Knebworth, said: “It seems across Woolmer Green, households are swapping hotpots for lasagnas, with many of the foods enjoyed by older generations in danger of being leftovers.

“There’s certainly been some interesting foods cooked up in the kitchen here at Knebworth, after we welcomed students from Knebworth Primary and Nursery School. It’s been brilliant delving into the decades with the students to revisit residents’ favourite past recipes. The residents and students have certainly given our Head Chef something to consider when planning their next menu. 

“We’d like to say a big thank you to the local pupils for coming along to Knebworth and can’t wait to see what they cook up next, now they’ve been inspired by the past. You tasted it here first!” 

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

Knebworth is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia and short-term respite care. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.