Greater Manchester’s ‘lost generation of cooks’ are being given a nudge back into the kitchen as part of the Love Food Hate Waste campaign.
Busy demands of modern day life and favoured quick fix meals mean that cooking skills are dissolving and not always being passed down through families.
And a recent research by LFHW and Mumsnet found that although cooking skills were rated highly by 90% of parents, 60% only spend 3 hours or less a month cooking with their children.
The survey also found that 40% of people say that the speed of preparation is amongst the most important things they consider when preparing a meal, which could often mean foregoing homemade meals.
LFHW head Emma Marsh said: “Cooking skills are a key life skill for all of us. But most of us lack the time to build these up, leading to a lack of confidence in the kitchen.”
A further three in five say one of the most important things they consider when preparing a meal is the likelihood of it being eaten.
Not only can a lack of food knowledge and cooking skills have a negative impact on our health and our children’s health but this initiative could help the average person save £200 pound a year, increasing to £470 for the average household and £700 for a family with children.
To tackle these issues LFHW, a scheme by the not-for-profit company WRAP, are giving out ‘Save More’ kitchen skills packs so people can get to grips with budgeting, planning, and portioning in the kitchen along with money saving tools and tips
They will also be offering free classes to all the city’s residents to help with the basics of cookery and getting creative in the kitchen, in the New Year.
LFHW head Emma Marsh said: “Our range of tools and guidance enhanced by our new Save More initiative are designed to increase everyone’s skills, knowledge and confidence and enable these to be passed onto the next generation.”
Manchester is one of ten cities taking part in this major push to help reduce food waste and save money.
LFHW aim to put an end to UK homes throwing away 7million tonnes of food and drink every year, wastage that costs the country £12.5billion.
To download your free Save More pack, click here.
Image courtesy of Yassan-Yukky, with thanks.
