Leamington Spa care home residents team up with school to bring back favourite recipes

A care home in Leamington Spa has teamed up with 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 Priors House, on Old Milverton 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 Leamington Spa for many years to come, residents from Priors House have rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons and teamed up with pupils from North Leamington Spa School to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.  

On the day, Head Chef, Marcin Ignatowicz, and the culinary team cooked the children and residents’ food favourites, including roast lamb and quiche. Everyone enjoyed taste testing the dishes and chatting about the different textures and smells, as well as the differences in preferences across the generations.

Michael Belcher, age 79, Vilma Moss, age 88, and Yvonne Thorpe, age 90, said: “We are happy to see the younger generation and chat about the old recipes. We always enjoy seeing the young volunteers from North Leamington School – their favourite is the quiche.”

Freya O, Malley, Millie Preece and Anna Jenkin, 16- and 17-year-old students from North Leamington Spa School, said: “We really enjoyed chatting with the residents and spending time with them and thought the quiche was delicious. Old recipes also help you to remember your grandmothers and mothers, while helping younger generations understand what the older generations are like.”

Francine Summers, Home Manager at Priors 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 devilled eggs, it’s been wonderful seeing the residents revisit some of their favourite foods from across the decades with pupils from Leamington 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!”

Priors House, which is rated ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC, is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the home has its very own cinema and hair salon, and there is plenty of space – both indoors and out – for relaxation and recreation.