Bracknell care home residents team up with the local community to bring back favourite recipes

A care home in Bracknell has teamed up with the local community 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 Bickerton House, on Warfield 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 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 Bracknell for many years to come, residents from Bickerton House rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons, to team up with children from the local community to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.  

A group of excited youngsters visited the care home and took part in a taste test with a twist, as they sampled the residents’ home-cooked nostalgic treats blindfolded.

Bickerton House resident Neil said: “I enjoyed seeing the expression and enjoyment on everyone’s faces! I think it’s important to keep cooking old recipes so they don’t get lost for the new generation. It was lovely to see the local community’s children enjoying themselves and interacting with all of us. They certainly brightened up our afternoon!” 

Dorothy Pye, Home Manager at Bickerton House, added: “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 local community. 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