Norwich care home residents team up with local youngsters to bring back favourite recipes

A care home in Norwich has teamed up with local youngsters 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 Cavell Court, on Dragonfly 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 from 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. 

On the day, resident at Cavell Court Betty Bowen, aged 97, donned her apron and invited her two great-grandchildren, Arya and Thomas, to bake a classic Victoria sponge with her.

Betty said: “It was so lovely to do something nice with the children, we all had lots of fun.”

Karen Curle, Home Manager at Cavell Court, 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 Betty revisit some of her favourite foods from across the decades with her grandchildren. Arctic rolls might be out of favour 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!”

To find out more about Care UK’s Recipes to remember initiative or to download your copy of the recipe book, please visit: www.careuk.com/recipes-to-remember 

Recipes to rememberCavell Court is a modern 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 care home has its very own cinema and hairdressers, and there is plenty of space both indoors and out for relaxation and recreation.