We plan to run a 12 week course working with teenagers and young parents in a disadvantaged area of Walker to teach the 'balance of good health'. We aim to give them the opportunity to learn about practical healthy eating by learning and developing cooking skills and teaching them about food hygiene and storage. Participants will take food home which they have prepared. They will also participate in a food therapy session / quiz at the end of the lesson.

Young people living here lack cooking skills and this limits their ability to consume a healthy balanced diet. Often when people who don't feel confident when cooking tend to rely on pre-prepared foods or take-aways, which can be high in fat, salt and sugar and a lot more expensive than making the same dishes themselves. This situation is exacerbated as the people who we support live on low incomes and cannot afford to experiment with new recipes and risk wasting food.

12 young residents over a 12 week period will learn about healthy eating with key learning points on nutritional information explained. They will learn how to enjoy cooking, gain confidence, and develop awareness of food groups, eating a balanced diet, food labelling and food hygiene. They will receive recipe cards and develop an understanding of the importance of a healthy balanced diet