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Principal Hosts 'Ready Steady Cook' to celebrate National Care Leavers Week

23 October 2024
How we celebrated National Care Leavers Week

In celebration of National Care Leavers Week, EKC Dover College’s Principal, Eleanor Sherratt, swapped her office for the kitchen to give a special cooking demonstration. She was using ingredients provided by FareShare, a charity fighting food poverty.

The Student Hub at EKC Dover College was filled with delicious aromas as our Principal put on her apron, and cooked up a treat for both staff and students. 

Using ingredients from FareShare, a charity tackling food poverty across the UK, Eleanor made crispy potato, sweetcorn, and onion rostis, served with a refreshing apple coleslaw on the side.  

The purpose of the event was to celebrate National Care Leavers Week. The staff at the College wanted to demonstrate to the students that it is possible to make tasty and healthy food with only minimal ingredients.  

Christina Dundon, Head of Inclusive Learning, who arranged the event said: “We think it is important to celebrate Care Leavers Week to raise awareness about Care Leavers and praise their successes. For ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’ we thought about those students who have left care and are now living independently, showing them how they can use healthy, inexpensive ingredients to make nutritious meals.”  

Using just seven ingredients to make her rostis, Eleanor impressed students, one mentioning that she was being “very resourceful” with only a few ingredients. 

The talented Principal-turned-Chef, Eleanor, explained: “This activity was to share how to make some simple recipes using ingredients that have turned up in FareShare food that we have delivered weekly to the College. Being prepared from scratch today is a potato, sweetcorn and onion rosti with a side serving of coleslaw.”  

Students gathered in The Hub as Eleanor pealed, grated and mixed. The event created a safe space for Eleanor and our students to have open conversations about cooking at home and eating healthily.

Our taste testers came from all departments around the College.  

Elizabeth Blackstock, a Level 2 Travel and Tourism student, said: “It was crunchy, and I think it would be great with a roast dinner. I would definitely eat that again, maybe with ketchup next time!”  

Nicola Terry, who studies Level 3 Art and Design, added: “I’d recommend that recipe. For my own recipe, I would take out the onion and add some other spices, but the end product was so impressive as it was cooked from only seven ingredients.” 

The event was a great success leaving our students with a quick and easy recipe they can recreate at home.  

We would like to extend our thanks to FareShare for their weekly donations of food to support this event.  

If you would like to join our inclusive community at EKC Dover College and have the Principal cook you lunch, you can find out more at our upcoming Open Day.