Food and Climate Action News: North

Written by Jackie Stockdale, Food and Climate Action project Community Activator for the North

St. Paul’s Cooking Class Crew is a group of active members of our partner organisation, St. Paul’s Youth Forum, a thriving food hub in the heart of Blackhill in Glasgow.  I am lucky enough to have been warmly welcomed to their weekly cookery sessions, where we come together and learn/share skills by making lunch and sharing it with anyone who is passing through.  Our focus is on making food that promotes health and social cohesion and contributes to a more sustainable local food system.   

As part of this, the group co-created and participated in an 8-week course, ‘Cooking for Resilience’; a series of themed workshops in storytelling, plant-based food, healthy eating, fake away meals, bulking out food, reducing food waste, and energy efficiency, and culminating in a trip to Gartur Stitch Farm. The farm visit was an opportunity for the group to connect with the source of food, and included spraying ducks with water, cuddling kittens, feeding pot-bellied pigs, milking goats, and enjoying a fabulous lunch provided by local bakers and butchers.  Some of the group commented that they had never been to a farm before, had been worried that they would find it boring, but ended up having a brilliant time!  The course culminated in a celebration day, when all participants received certificates, an apron and a resource pack containing recipes and other key information learned throughout the course. 

The Cooking for Resilience course reflects the Food and Climate Action project’s belief that cooking food from fresh ingredients is a powerful climate action because it builds skills that are essential during times when food supplies are disrupted; something that is increasingly likely to happen due to climate change.  Ordinary communities are often among those who contribute the least to climate change; many are struggling to make ends meet, so don’t run a car or go on holiday abroad.  However, it is these very communities that are set to be impacted the most, so learning cooking skills, and passing that learning on to family and friends, creates a ripple effect that better prepares communities for periods of scarcity.   

‘I’ve learned to cook from scratch, no processed food, everything’s all from scratch.  I’ve learned to have less food waste.  I’ve made a lot of new friends….We’ll use a lot of fresh vegetables, which is hard in an area like this, with so much poverty…’

‘we get a recipe home with us, and my sister will take the recipe off me, because she wants to try to cook it.’

The group has since built on the success of Cooking for Resilience course by growing and cooking their own potatoes and carrots, pickling beetroot, baking, including making fresh bread, and even trying their hand at making puff candy!  We hope to expand the group in the new year, when more space becomes available, giving them the opportunity to share learning and skills with new members.  

Much of the conversation around food sustainability focuses on consumer choice, ignoring the role of more powerful forces like governments, corporations, advertising and marketing in promoting unhealthy eating.  This has made it easier for the media to stereotype people in ordinary communities as having poor diets consisting of ultra-processed convenience foods.  St. Paul’s Cooking Class Crew tell a different story; the real story, which is that people in Blackhill, and many communities like it, do care about their diet, their health, and their environment.  The group has been an absolute joy to work with, and I am confident that they will continue to inspire their family, friends, and community for generations to come.