A new community cooking course in Swanage in Dorset, has got off to a strong start, with a dozen residents attending the first Friendly Food Club session.
Organisers say the weekly Thursday morning classes at the United Reformed Church on the High Street, which are free to attend, aim to teach healthy, low cost cooking while also offering companionship for those who may feel isolated.
The Friendly Food Club aims to inspire residents to cook with confidence
Inspire people to try new recipes
Free places should be booked online for the initiative, which has already attracted a wide mix of people, from members of the Allsort’d club to a 97-year-old resident and newcomers to the town hoping to meet others.
It aims to teach new skills to beginners and improvers, inspire people to try new recipes and show how cheap foods can also be nutritious and tasty – at the same time as providing a warm space where would-be cooks can chat with others.
The Friendly Food Club, a Wimborne based charity which has run food education projects across Dorset for more than 12 years, has lent Swanage organisers a full kit of portable hobs and utensils for the four week programme leading up to Christmas.
Two further six week courses will be run before Easter 2026 covering such recipes as hearty soups, healthy beanburgers and an affordable spaghetti bolognese using chicken mince.
Everything is provided to make the dishes, which participants can eat at the end of the two hour session, or take away to serve up at home.
The weekly course at Swanage’s United Reform Church started with a strong turnout
“The club works on so many levels”
Organiser Julie Bowerman said:
“For some people it is about making the budget go further, for others it’s about learning how to cook. It’s perfect for beginners and improvers, and carers and support workers are welcome too – this is as much about combatting loneliness as anything else.
“The club works on so many levels – it’s to pass on new skills, to teach healthy eating, to suggest how people can spend less on ingredients while still making healthy and nourishing foods – it ticks all sorts of boxes.
“We have heard from a widowed man whose wife used to make all the food, someone else who only knows how to make microwave meals, people who want company, and someone whose diet has become very restrictive and wants to learn new recipes.
“We are also hoping it will appeal to new parents who want to learn family cooking skills while still being able to balance the budget. We are thrilled with the initial turnout, and very pleased to see so many men here!”
A table of fruit and bread was provided by Swanage Food Larder and the Co-op
“Be inspired to try cooking”
Julie added:
“The Friendly Food Club has been to Swanage before for one off events to promote healthy eating through fun community cooking as part of Dorset Council’s holiday activity and food programme, but this is the first time they have run a whole course over several weeks.
“I’d love to thank all the Swanage volunteers we have had to help run the session – our aim is to learn the skills to carry on running the programme ourselves once our backing from the Friendly Food Club ends next Easter.
“We have also been backed by Swanage and Purbeck Development Trust, Wellbeing Swanage, Planet Purbeck and the Swanage Food Bank – we were given a whole table of fruit and bread to share by the Swanage Food Larder and the Co-op which would otherwise have gone to waste.
“We are hoping that in the weeks ahead, many more people will come along and be inspired to try cooking if they haven’t done much, or any, before, as well as learn new skills, try new recipes and enjoy making some cheap and healthy dishes!”
The weekly cooking sessions are being led by Friendly Food Club tutor Caroline Gray
“Blessed with an amazing market”
At the first class, tutor Caroline Gray showed participants how to make a pot of hearty vegetable soup for under £2, using carrots, onions, tomatoes and lentils.
Alongside tips on safe food storage and batch cooking, she also shared practical kitchen guidance – including how to chop onions without tears.
Caroline Gray said:
“There are lots of old wives’ tales on this matter, from putting a spoon in your mouth to freezing them first, or wearing goggles, but the trick is simply to leave the root until last.
“That’s the main part of the onion which makes you cry, so leave that bit until last and chop towards it – if you watch the chefs on the telly, you’ll see that’s how they all do it.
“Don’t forget that Swanage is blessed to have the most amazing Friday market with fresh fruit and veg that you can buy by weight – even if you just need one of an item – and it is well worth going there.”
Swanage volunteers aim to be able to run the club themselves after Easter 2026
“Costs a lot less and tastes just as good”
Caroline added:
“Whichever store you shop in, you should buy their own brand. There is snobbery around buying branded items, but in my experience the own brand costs a lot less and tastes just as good, if not better.
“Own brand beans can cost around 35 pence a tin, while the top brand baked beans are nearly £2 a tin now.
“I picked up a tin of own brand beans to save some pennies and honestly if I won the lottery tomorrow I would still buy them – they’re also lower in salt and lower in sugar, so healthy as well as tasty.
“Remember that soup is just vegetables in a liquid, it’s up to you to decide what liquid to use – it could be water with a stock cube, gravy from the previous night, or some left over wine.
“Soups are that simple, and they’re a great way to use up whatever you have left in your fridge. We have made it in a saucepan today, but if you have a slow cooker you can save money on energy costs and cook it overnight on a low heat.
“We have made a chunky soup, but you could use a blender to zip half of it into a smooth soup and flavour it with chilli or garlic, or use it as a base for a pasta dish, or even a base for an Indian dish, it’s very versatile and one pot of soup can make several meals.”
Swanage United Reform Church in High Street is hosting the sessions every Thursday morning
“It’s a great community initiative”
Chief executive officer of the Friendly Food Club, Liz Guilmant-Cush said:
“We are delighted to be able to back these cook and connect courses in Swanage. We have had amazing support from volunteers and the idea now is to train them up so that they can carry on the work successfully without our involvement. It’s a great community initiative.
“When you sit down for a meal tonight, thousands of people across Dorset can’t share in what you’re about to enjoy.
“In Purbeck alone, more than 31,000 people are at medium to high risk of food insecurity according to data from Public Health Dorset, which is quite a shocking number.”
The Friendly Food Club is about cooking tasty, wholesome foods on a budget
“Safe, inclusive spaces to cook”
Liz added:
“People experience food insecurity when they are unable to feel certain that they can afford, obtain, prepare and eat a healthy, nutritious diet, and experience food poverty when this uncertainty becomes a fact.
“The main causes are a combination of rapidly increasing food prices with a low income, but can also include limited access to affordable healthy food because of a lack of transport, a lack of cooking skills, or even just a lack confidence to cook.
“Our club creates safe, inclusive spaces where people come together to cook, learn, eat, and build their skills, healthy habits, confidence and self-esteem without breaking the bank.”
Helpful hints and easy to follow instructions make cooking fun and easy!
Further information
- Find a Food Club session in Purbeck and book a place online
