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

Three care homes in Edinburgh have 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 Cairdean House, on Redford Road, Lauder Lodge, on Wakefield Avenue, and Murrayside, on South Beechwood, 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 Edinburgh for many years to come, residents from Cairdean House have rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons, to go head-to-head with pupils from Colinton Primary School in a special baking competition to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.

At Lauder Lodge, residents and grandchildren joined forces for a special cooking afternoon, preparing some of the residents’ favourite recipes – all while donning chefs’ hats and aprons. 

Meanwhile, residents at Murrayside welcomed children from Bright Sparks Nursery. Together, they prepared and decorated tasty shortbread biscuits, while discussing their favourite foods with each other. 

The shortbread recipes came from Murayside resident Jean Wishart, who said: “I was delighted that the children showed such interest in my family’s shortbread recipe. It tasted just as good as I remembered!”

Kat Barnwell, Home Manager at Cairdean House, said: “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 shortbread, it’s been wonderful seeing the residents revisit some of their favourite foods from across the decades with pupils from Colinton Primary 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 

Cairdean House, Lauder Lodge and Murrayside care homes have been specially designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care homes incorporate space for hobby and leisure activities, and have their own cinemas, hair salons and cafés.